Premier Jiang Yi-huah today condemned unscrupulous businesses for selling recycled waste cooking oil and demanded that ministries and agencies deepen their investigations and toughen penalties for violators.
Jiang's remarks followed a briefing by the Ministry of Health and Welfare (MOHW) and the Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA) on food safety management in the aftermath of the recent lard oil scandal. Tailing last year's adulterated cooking oil incident, the latest scare has harmed the public's health, undermined consumers' rights, and compromised Taiwan's hard-earned reputation as a quality culinary nation, Jiang said.
The premier said the MOHW and the Council of Agriculture (COA) have completed the first phase of recalling, sealing and destroying problematic oil products. In the next phase, the agencies will investigate whether other illegal sources exist and where the tainted goods have flowed downstream.
Jiang asked the oil scandal response task force led by Vice Premier Mao Chi-kuo to continue coordinating cross-ministry resources to conduct a comprehensive review of the food safety management system. The task force should find out what illegal ingredients have entered the food chain and discuss which systemic reforms can be accelerated. A serious food safety crisis such as this must not be allowed to happen again, the premier said.
As for concerns over animal feed manufacturer Ching Wei Co., which allegedly produced feed oil illegally, Premier Jiang asked the MOHW, COA and the Ministry of Justice (MOJ) to look into whether the company's products have entered the general food supply chain.
In any food scare, businesses that engage in unethical manufacturing, conceal their wrongdoing, or refuse to report or recall faulty products only add to the scope of the damage, Jiang said. Central and local governments must side with consumers and law-abiding enterprises and use their authority to investigate or prevent illegal practices. Meanwhile, cross-ministry communication is crucial and local prosecutors should offer assistance if needed.
Jiang reiterated that food safety issues must not be taken lightly, and both the central and local authorities must adopt the highest and strictest standards to fight unlawful food manufacturers and put an end to their activities.
Since the Act Governing Food Safety and Sanitation was amended on February 5, the MOHW has been diligently promoting quality control systems for cataloging, tracking and tracing foods. With many related laws still in the process of being promulgated, the MOHW and other agencies should speed up the establishment of their respective control systems, using the bills passed by the Legislature as a legal basis, Jiang said. Moreover, the agencies should apply the most stringent standards to their control systems.
When dealing with food safety issues, government agencies must take critical measures such as checking foods at the source, controlling the flow of food waste and intensifying inspections, the premier continued. Businesses or individuals involved in illicit activities must be dealt draconian punishment to stop similar events from recurring.
Regarding the Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) certification system, the premier noted the certification system was useful in improving food production safety and sanitation standards during previous decades of economic growth. However, it is applied for voluntarily by businesses and in the past couple of years, many non-GMP products from GMP-certified companies have been found to be problematic, and the label's credibility has been severely undermined.
Jiang instructed the MOEA to collect feedback from all social sectors on whether to abolish or tighten the GMP system. Issues to be discussed include whether to certify a single product, or certify the entire category of products from the same manufacturer; whether GMP certification and promotion organizations should include more independent scholars, experts and consumer advocates; and whether the number of GMP certifications and frequency of spot checks should be raised.
As for allegations that Chang Guann Co. forged documents to import oil products from Hong Kong, the premier directed the Mainland Affairs Council, MOJ, MOHW, MOEA and Ministry of Finance to work swiftly with Hong Kong officials to determine what exactly happened in order to prevent similar occurrences in the future.
The premier also asked the MOHW and COA to update the public on the latest situation on a daily basis. Under the direction of Vice Premier Mao's task force, the agencies should work closely and face this food safety threat together.