Another food safety issue has surfaced. This time, reputable teashop chains such as Stornaway (英國藍) and 50 Lan (50嵐) as well as well-known breakfast shop chains are affected. The public’s reaction has been less vociferous than it was to last year’s tainted oil scandal, which is a reflection of the frustration that everyone feels. This provides an opportunity to thoroughly review the ongoing food safety issue.
When discussing this issue in the past, the authorities mostly started at the beginning of the production process and tried to increase penalties, promote self-discipline among manufacturers and introduce traceable production records. This approach simply tried to find a solution to an isolated problem and that method was obviously insufficient.
In the food industry, production problems only occur once there is a market demand, and these two factors are closely linked. To find a comprehensive solution to these problems, it is necessary to also include the other end of the process, for example, to consider consumer usage in general and attitudes among customers in particular.
First, there is a feeling among consumers that they can drink these drinks without them causing any harm. There are beverage vendors everywhere across Taiwan, a situation that is rarely seen in other places around the world. Many people have a habit of drinking flavored drinks instead of plain water, and they even have such drinks together with meals.
Although doctors have repeatedly warned that sugary drinks can be harmful to health, and although many schools have banned the sales of such drinks, many people are addicted to them, and they are unable to quit. They continue to drink these drinks with the feeling that no harm will come to them.
There is also the factor of convenience for consumers. What is the household dining situation in Taiwan today? According to a large-scale survey on Taiwanese children’s sense of happiness, conducted by the Child Welfare League in 2013, among Taiwanese children aged 10 to 12, 25.5 percent on at least one occasion had to make all three meals in a day by themselves, and about 5.7 percent usually or always cook by themselves. Of the children surveyed, 17.7 percent hardly ever saw their parents at dinner time, and only had dinner with their parents once a week or even less.
The data in this report show that the pressures of a busy lifestyle have meant that convenience has become a crucial factor in terms of eating. More processed food products are bought, rather than buying ingredients to make meals from scratch. Or consumers choose to dine out, so it is difficult to control the quality of the food that is eaten. In addition, families are also losing the opportunity to spend quality time together.
Let us rid ourselves of the misguided idea that food and drinks cannot cause us any harm and instead review our dining habits carefully. Let us also reject our pursuit of convenience and go home and cook meals in our kitchens for our loved ones.
Chiang Tien-chien is a professor at National Hsinchu University of Education.
Translated by Eddy Chang
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