The Executive Yuan's inter-ministerial task force on food safety held its 9th meeting today, led by Vice Premier Mao Chi-kuo, to discuss more concerted efforts for ensuring food safety in Taiwan.
To strengthen controls over food sanitation, the 2013 National Food Safety Conference will be held November 30 at National Taiwan University's College of Public Health, with discussions to focus on enhancing government administrative efficacy, strengthening industry self-regulation and compensating consumers. Participants will include food processing companies, toxicologists, legal experts, consumer advocate groups, food and drink business associations, as well as food sanitation and other authorities from local and central governments. It is hoped that the conference will help forge a consensus across sectors and enable all to work together to restore Taiwan's reputation in this area.
Concerning media reports that cooking oil wholesalers may be reselling tainted oils from Tatung Chang Chi Foodstuff Factory under different packaging, the Ministry of Health and Welfare (MOHW) has instructed food sanitation officials across the country to investigate Tatung wholesalers and confiscate all adulterated items. Any distributor found reselling such items will be prosecuted to the full extent of the law, officials warned. As of November 20, more than 495 metric tons of problematic Tatung oil have been removed from wholesalers, bringing the total amount of Tatung oil held by authorities to 1,777 metric tons. Some of the confiscated stock have been turned over to other agencies for recycling into biomass energy fuel: 40 metric tons from Formosa Oilseed Processing Co. in Taichung have been repurposed so far, and Ting Hsin Oil & Fat Industrial Co. in Pingtung County expects to begin recycling their oils this December.
As for edible oil products manufactured by Spanish firm Vidoria and the Italian company Basso Fedele & Figli, every batch imported into Taiwan must now be accompanied by official documents certifying the oils to be free of copper chlorophyllin, or else be subject to random examination. Health authorities have already begun inspections at the 14 local companies importing oil from these two manufacturers.
Since the tainted oil clampdown operation began November 1, food sanitation officials across the country were dispatched a total of 5,714 person-times, according to the MOHW. The scope of examination has since been expanded to include oil raw materials and additives. As of 2 p.m., November 21, a total of 17,604 inspection visits were paid to food stores, 51,557 items checked, and 465 items pulled from shelves due to improper labeling.
Vice Premier Mao pointed out that some news outlets may be causing confusion among consumers by finding and publicizing research articles or by hiring food testing agencies and then publishing those results. To avoid unnecessary panic, the vice premier has asked the MOHW, Council of Agriculture and other agencies to communicate the government's plan to systematically conduct food safety investigations. The media should also note that Article 40 of the Act Governing Food Sanitation requires that "the method of test, testing unit and the evidence used in interpreting the results should be concurrently disclosed when publishing testing information on food sanitation." The government thanked all citizens for their concerns for food safety issues and welcomed the public to report any violations, but added that such information should be released in a socially responsible manner.