Taiwan food on display in Tokyo fair

Taiwan's agricultural products and speciality foods attracted a good deal of attention on the opening day of the 2004 Tokyo International Food Exhibition yesterday.

National Policy Advisor and Taiwan Confectionery Biscuit and Floury Food Industry Association (台灣區糖果餅乾麵食公會) chairman Fang Jen-hui (方仁惠), who led the Taiwanese delegation of more than 150 representatives from 59 companies, said he was confident that Taiwan-made high-quality foodstuffs would become more popular in Japan.

According to Fang, the quality of Taiwan-produced tea, vegetables and processed foods had improved greatly and were well-placed to court quality-conscious Japanese customers.

A variety of Taiwanese vegetables, fruit, tea, processed produce and alcoholic beverages were on display in a number of booths decorated in an eye-catching livery of yellow, green and orange at the exhibition.

The Taiwan Trade Center (TTC) in Tokyo sponsored a news conference earlier in the day to introduce Taiwan's progress and achievements in food safety.

Wang Ming-lai (王明來), director of the International Cooperation Department under the Cabinet-level Council of Agriculture (COA) , hailed Taiwanese fruit such as bananas, pineapples, dates and bell fruit as "the world's top delicacies."