The series of adulterated oil scandals this year might cost the nation’s food sector NT$12.3 billion (US$404.2 million) in sales by the end of the year, the Ministry of Economic Affairs said yesterday.
Industrial Development Bureau Director-General Wu Ming-ji (吳明機) told a press conference that according to the ministry’s latest estimates, the food sector could possibly lose NT$10.2 billion in sales domestically and NT$2.1 billion in exports.
Commenting on the policy to halve import tariffs on lard to 10 percent for a six-month period, Wu said given that Chang Guann Co (強冠) and Cheng I Food Ltd (正義) provide nearly 95 percent of lard for domestic demand, it is necessary to increase lard imports to address a potential shortage.
“Lowering the tariff rate might encourage other companies to import lard,” he said, adding that as far as he knows, lard products are mainly used by domestic food manufacturers, bakeries and for street vendors.
After carrying out the tariff reduction, the government plans to negotiate with the lard importers to see if they can cut product prices for consumers, Wu said.
Customs regulations for lard imports have been amended in the wake of the most recent cooking oil scandal, Wu said, adding that the Food and Drug Administration plans to carry out batch-on-batch inspections on the border.
Importers are also required to present official documents issued by the importing nation’s health authority, which must be verified by Taiwan’s representative office there, Wu said.
If foreign governments do not issue certificates for importers’ oil products, the Ministry of Health and Welfare plan to dispatch personnel for overseas inspection.
The Bureau of Foreign Trade Director-General Yang Jen-ni (楊珍妮) said the government has suspended Chang Guann, Cheng I and Ting Hsin Oil and Fat Industrial Co’s (頂新製油) right to import or export for a year, in accordance with the Foreign Trade Act (貿易法).
Yang said there have been cases where Taiwanese food products are subjected to stricter border inspections in Japan and China following the latest oil scandal.
“Japanese customs officials requested our government to explain the oil scandal to them before allowing our products to enter their country,” she said.
“The government has ordered representatives to explain ... we are now taking strict measures to ensure food safety, to ease other countries’ concerns,” Yang said.
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Sales in the retail, and food and beverage sectors last month continued to rise, increasing 0.7 percent and 13.6 percent respectively from a year earlier, setting record highs for the month of March, the Ministry of Economic Affairs said yesterday. Sales in the wholesale sector also grew last month by 4.6 annually, mainly due to the business opportunities for emerging applications related to artificial intelligence (AI) and high-performance computing technologies, the ministry said in a report. The ministry forecast that retail, and food and beverage sales this month would retain their growth momentum as the former would benefit from Tomb Sweeping Day