2013 Taiwan food scandal

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The 2013 Taiwan food scandal refers to food safety incidents in the Republic of China (Taiwan) that began in October 2013. Affected products included cooking oil, health pills, alcoholic beverages, milk and rice. [1]

Food safety scientific discipline describing handling, preparation, and storage of food in ways that prevent foodborne illness

Food safety is a scientific discipline describing handling, preparation, and storage of food in ways that prevent food-borne illness. The occurrence of two or more cases of a similar illnesses resulting from the ingestion of a common food is known as a food-borne disease outbreak. This includes a number of routines that should be followed to avoid potential health hazards. In this way food safety often overlaps with food defense to prevent harm to consumers. The tracks within this line of thought are safety between industry and the market and then between the market and the consumer. In considering industry to market practices, food safety considerations include the origins of food including the practices relating to food labeling, food hygiene, food additives and pesticide residues, as well as policies on biotechnology and food and guidelines for the management of governmental import and export inspection and certification systems for foods. In considering market to consumer practices, the usual thought is that food ought to be safe in the market and the concern is safe delivery and preparation of the food for the consumer.

Taiwan state in East Asia

Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a state in East Asia. Neighbouring states include the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the west, Japan to the northeast, and the Philippines to the south. Taiwan is the most populous state and largest economy that is not a member of the United Nations (UN).

Contents

Companies involved

Chang Chi Foodstuff Factory Co.

Chang Chi Foodstuff Factory Co. (Chinese :大統長基) was found to have used copper chlorophyllin, an illegal coloring agent for cooking oil, in its olive oil and have adulterated its higher-end cooking oil with cheaper cottonseed oil. [2] The company was fined NT$ 28.6 million in accordance to the Act Governing Food Sanitation after authorities have found that their products had been adulterated. [3] In December 2013 company chairman Kao Chen-li was sentenced to sixteen years in prison for his role in the scandal. The company was also mandated to pay a further NT$50 million fine. [4] A NT$1.85 billion fine levied by the Changhua County Public Health Bureau was annulled in July 2014 because Kao and two other company executives had already been jailed. Kao Tsung-hsien of the Ministry of Health and Welfare’s Administrative Appeal Committee stated:

Traditional Chinese characters

Traditional Chinese characters are Chinese characters in any character set that does not contain newly created characters or character substitutions performed after 1946. They are most commonly the characters in the standardized character sets of Taiwan, of Hong Kong and Macau, and in the Kangxi Dictionary. The modern shapes of traditional Chinese characters first appeared with the emergence of the clerical script during the Han Dynasty, and have been more or less stable since the 5th century.

Chlorophyllin chemical compound

Chlorophyllin refers to any one of a group of closely related water-soluble salts that are semi-synthetic derivatives of chlorophyll, differing in the identity of the cations associated with the anion. Its most common form is a sodium/copper derivative used as a food additive and in alternative medicine. Chlorophyll is present in green leafy vegetables and reaching levels as high as 5.7% in spinach. As a food coloring agent, copper complex chlorophyllin is known as natural green 3 and has the E number E141.

Cooking oil oil consumed by humans, from vegetable or animal origin

Cooking oil is plant, animal, or synthetic fat used in frying, baking, and other types of cooking. It is also used in food preparation and flavouring not involving heat, such as salad dressings and bread dips, and in this sense might be more accurately termed edible oil.

Given that the Changhua District Court has handed down a punishment against the company’s chairman, Kao Cheng-li [in December last year], the committee members decided to cancel the NT$1.85 billion fine in accordance with Article 26 of the Administrative Penalty Act.

—  [5]

Flavor Full Food Inc.

Flavor Full Food Inc. (Chinese :富味鄉食品股份有限公司) was accused of blending cheaper cottonseed oil into more expensive cooking oils to increase their profit. [2] On 26 October 2013, the company admitted of their wrongdoings through health officials. The company had adulterated 24 of its products sold in Taiwan with cheaper cottonseed oil, and also added flavoring agents to one of its peanut oil products. The company had been fined NT$ 8 million for 25 violations. [6] The former chairman and his brother were each sentenced to sixteen months in prison and ordered to pay NT$25 million in September 2014. The company itself was ordered to pay a further NT$5 million fine. [7] [8]

New Taiwan dollar official currency of Taiwan

The New Taiwan dollar is the official currency of the Republic of China (ROC) used in the Taiwan Area. Formally, one dollar (圓) is divided into ten dimes (角), and to 100 cents (分), although cents are never used in practice. The New Taiwan dollars has been the currency of Taiwan since 1949, when it replaced the Old Taiwan dollar, at a rate of 40,000 old dollars per one new dollar. There are a variety of alternative names to the units in Taiwan. The unit of dollar is usually written in simpler form as 元. Colloquially, the currency unit usually called 塊 in Mandarin, 箍 in Taiwanese Hokkien, and 銀 in Hakka.

Formosa Oilseed Processing Co.

Formosa Oilseed Processing Co. (Chinese :福懋油) was found to intentionally mislabel their six cooking oil mixtures as pure olive oils. The company general manager issued an apology saying that the company will stop selling the small-package olive oil. The company was fined NT$ 15 million. [9]

Geneherbs Biotechnology Co.

The weight-loss pills manufactured by the Geneherbs Biotechnology Co. (Chinese :菁茵荋生物科技) were found to contain unauthorized drugs. The pills product called the Wellslim Plus+ contains cetilistat, a lipase inhibitor designed to treat obesity. [10]

Cetilistat is a drug designed to treat obesity. It acts in the same way as the older drug orlistat (Xenical) by inhibiting pancreatic lipase, an enzyme that breaks down triglycerides in the intestine. Without this enzyme, triglycerides from the diet are prevented from being hydrolyzed into absorbable free fatty acids and are excreted undigested.

Sing-Lin Foods Corporation

In early November, sodium copper chlorophyllin was found on Wu Mu (Chinese :五木) steamed spinach ramen noodles brand manufactured by Sing-Lin Foods Corporation (Chinese :興霖). [11]

Taisun Enterprise Co.

On 20 November 2013, the Food and Drug Administration of Ministry of Health and Welfare confirmed the grapeseed oil made by Taisun Enterprise Co. (Chinese :泰山) contains the prohibited food additive copper chlorophyllin complex. [12]

Ta Lien Alcohol Company

The contents of 11 out of 12 alcohol products manufactured by Ta lien Alcohol Company (Chinese :大聯製酒工業公司) were found not to match the ingredients listed on their labels as announced by the Department of Finance of Changhua County Government on 28 October 2013. The company was fined NT$ 5.5 million. [13]

Ting Hsin International Group

The chairman of Ting Hsin International Group (Chinese :頂新集團) was indicted in early November 2013 on fraud charges because of mislabeling products and violating the Act Governing Food Sanitation in connection to adulterated oil purchased from Chang Chi Foodstuff Factory Co. [11]

Wei Chuan Food Corp

Wei Chuan Food Corp (Chinese :味全食品) were found to be involved in an adulterated cooking oil scandal. [14] The chairman of the company offered a public apology during a press conference on 5 November 2013. [15]

Reactions

Domestic responses

ROC President – On 23 October 2013, President Ma Ying-jeou pledged to strengthen inspection on food and beverage manufacturers and severely punish those with altered food products. He also ordered the Ministry of Health and Welfare to hold a national food safety conference in November 2013 to address the issues.

Executive Yuan – The Executive Yuan had announced that it is setting up a joint food safety inspection and control team between the yuan and Ministry of Health and Welfare and Council of Agriculture. [16]

ROC Ministry of Health and Welfare (MOHW) – On 23 October 2013, Minister Chiu Wen-ta said that he took full responsibility for cracking down the 'black-hearted' food suppliers.

ROC Minister of Economic Affairs (MOEA) – Vice Minister Woody Duh said that the MOEA Industrial Development Bureau is reviewing the Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) system and might require a manufacturer to present its export and import invoices and declarations and to allow on-the-spot inspection for its production line when it seek certification. He said that the MOEA will ensure that the GMP is a guarantee for safety, and without it consumers will be exposed more to unsafe foods. [3]

ROC Environmental Protection Administration – Minister Stephen Shen said on 28 October that he would instruct local cleaning squads to accept and recycle oil bottles that still contain the adulterated oil. [19]

Democratic Progressive Party – Former Chairman Shih Ming-teh said on 24 October 2013 that he and his friends would file a class-action lawsuit against Flavor Full Food Inc. to seek compensation over its adulterated oil products because his household's organic sesame oil was all from the company. Any compensation he receives from the lawsuit will be donated to charity organizations. [6]

International responses

China

In Mainland China, a food distributor in Fujian filed a lawsuit against Chang Chi Foodstuff Factory Co. to seek damages for compensation. [20] Xiamen had ordered 40,000 liters of cooking oil made by Chang Chi Foodstuff Factory Co. to be removed from shelves and stepped up inspections on edible oil products purchased from Taiwan. [14]

Singapore

Singaporean food suppliers that source from Taiwan cooking oil companies involved in the food scandal were ordered to hold their shipping by the Government of Singapore on 22 October 2013. [2]

United States

In United States, stores removed all Taiwanese foods tainted by the chemicals and other questionable products off the shelves. [21]

See also

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References

  1. ↑ "Food agency finds more mislabeled rice". FTV News . YouTube. 28 November 2013. Retrieved 17 December 2013.
  2. 1 2 3 Hsin-hui, Lu; Scully Hsiao (22 October 2013). "Singaporean importers of Taiwanese oil barred from shipping". Central News Agency . Retrieved 17 December 2013.
  3. 1 2 Mo Yan-chih; Shih Hsiu-chuan (24 October 2013). "Ma vows tougher food inspections". Taipei Times. Retrieved 17 December 2013.
  4. ↑ Tse-hao, Wu; Jay Chen (16 December 2013). "Businessman gets 16-year sentence in edible oil scandal". Central News Agency. Retrieved 16 December 2013.
  5. ↑ Hsu, Stacy (11 July 2014). "Chang Chi's adulterated edible oil fine rescinded". Taipei Times. Retrieved 11 July 2014.
  6. 1 2 "Flavor Full Food admits adulterating its edible oil". Taipei Times. 25 October 2013. Retrieved 17 December 2013.
  7. ↑ Wu, Jhe-hao; Wu, Lillian (1 October 2014). "Prosecutors appeal ruling against Flavor Full executives". Central News Agency. Retrieved 1 October 2014.
  8. ↑ "Flavor Full Foods chairman and brother sentenced". Taipei Times. 2 October 2014. Retrieved 2 October 2014.
  9. ↑ Lee, Joy (3 November 2013). "Formosa Oilseed Processing Co. fined NT$15 mil. for mislabeling". The China Post . Retrieved 17 December 2013.
  10. ↑ Yan-chih, Mo; Chris Wang (26 October 2013). "Lien defends daughter's investment". Taipei Times. Retrieved 2 November 2013.
  11. 1 2 Fuchs, Chris (20 November 2013). "Tainted by scandal". Taipei Times. Retrieved 17 December 2013.
  12. ↑ Lee, Joy (21 November 2013). "4 inspections confirmed Taisun's tainted oil: FDA". The China Post. Retrieved 17 December 2013.
  13. ↑ Lee, Joy (29 October 2013). "Changchi affiliate busted for putting false labels on 11 alcohol products". The China Post. Retrieved 17 December 2013.
  14. 1 2 "Xiamen pulls Taiwanese cooking oil from shelves". Want China Times. 9 November 2013. Archived from the original on 2013-11-12. Retrieved 17 December 2013.
  15. ↑ "Taiwan food tycoon grilled over cooking oil scandal". Straits Times. 7 November 2013. Retrieved 17 December 2013.
  16. ↑ "More firms suspected in tainted oil scandal". TaiwanNews.com. 29 October 2013. Retrieved 17 December 2013.
  17. ↑ Ching-yi, Wang; Chen Ching-fang & Scully Hsiao (29 October 2013). "Taiwan mulls heavier penalties for fraudulent food makers". Central News Agency. Retrieved 17 December 2013.
  18. ↑ Lee, Joy (31 October 2013). "List of 37 oils that 'failed tests' leaked to Internet: MHW". The China Post. Retrieved 17 December 2013.
  19. ↑ I-chia, Lee (29 October 2013). "EPA will take in bottles of adulterated oil: minister". Taipei Times . Retrieved 17 December 2013.
  20. ↑ "Fujian distributors to file suit against Changchi". Central News Agency. The China Post. 12 November 2013. Retrieved 17 December 2013.
  21. ↑ "Taiwan food scandal spreads abroad". Central News Agency. YouTube. 22 October 2011. Retrieved 17 December 2013.
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