The Executive Yuan stated today that the government has set up a food-safety warning mechanism and executed special measures to clean up and ensure food safety to demonstrate the administration's determination to crack down on food-safety crimes. Any illegal food manufacturers that endanger public health, the government will pursue them until bringing them to justice.
Based on information from the food-safety warning mechanism, the Executive Yuan's Office of Food Safety (OFS) to date has transferred 17 cases to the prosecutorial or investigation agencies for further investigations, 13 cases have been fined by the administrative agencies and 11 cases are pending penalties.
The OFS cited a case in point monitored under the food-safety warning mechanism in which an unlicensed factory in Kaohsiung City's Renwu district was suspected of illicitly producing bottles of ramune or "marble soda" for downstream distributors. On January 22, 2015, the OFS provided the information to relevant agencies to investigate. The Kaohsiung City Government's (KCG) related departments and bureaus in conjunction with the KCG police department conducted a sweeping probe of the factory on January 29 and discovered it without a factory registration license. The factory had been producing marble soda three months ago for distribution all over the country.
The OFS pointed out that the factory often operated at night and sold the illegally produced marble sodas to downstream manufacturers. It violated relevant laws on plant management and regulations on food safety. The KCG Economic Development Bureau has ordered the factory's shutdown until it completed plant registration in three months. As for violation of health and sanitation regulations, the KCG Department of Health is conducting further investigations. Without a plant registration license, the factory cannot operate, and even with a license it must meet the government's Good hygienic Practices and relevant regulations of the Act Governing Food Sanitation and Safety.
The Executive Yuan calls upon food manufacturers to abide by relevant laws and regulations and not be tempted by profits and put themselves at risk of the law. If they need any assistance in whatever ways, they can contact various county and city governments or the Ministry of Health and Welfare or the Ministry of Economic Affairs for help.