The Consumers’ Foundation yesterday accused President Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) administration of turning a blind eye toward business owners in the edible oil industry, adding that Minister of Health and Welfare Chiu Wen-ta (邱文達) and Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Director-General Yeh Ming-kung (葉明功) should resign if the ministry continues to be lax in monitoring the industry.
The foundation’s Consumer Reports Magazine publisher Chen Chih-yi (陳智義) said current regulations stated that one crime does not merit multiple punitive measures, with criminal cases taking precedence over all other cases. As such, Chen, citing as an example the previous adulterated oil scandal implicating Chang Chi Foodstuff Factory Co (大統長基), said that though the ministry’s Administrative Appeal Committee imposed a NT$1.85 billion (US$61.7 million) fine for the administrative violation, the case was brought to court as a criminal offense, resulting in the company receiving just NT$38 million in fines and the ministry canceling its NT$1.85 billion fine, citing the principle of double jeopardy.
Consumers’ Foundation chairman Mark Chang (張智剛) asked whether edible oils were included in the FDA’s “Notice for food industry owners on items for inspection and least amount of inspection time,” or whether that applied only to aquaculture, meats and dairy products, food products holding additives and that were imported, and special nutrition products that have previously obtained inspection permits.
Photo: CNA
“Oils are an important part of daily consumption and are present in almost everything we eat,” Chang said, adding that the foundation has since last year — following Chang Chi’s adulterated oil scandal — called for certain items to be included in the inspections.
“Both Yeh and Chiu should step down if the situation continues to worsen and the ministry fails to step up inspection and control,” he added.
Among the firms affected in the latest scandal are Ve Wong Corp (味王) and the Gourmet Master Co (美食達人), which owns cafe and bakery chain 85°C (85度C).
This has strongly eroded consumers’ faith in food security, the foundation said.
Chang added that the involvement of Wei Chuan Foods Corp (味全食品工業) in both the Chang Chi adulterated oil scandal last year and the latest tainted oil scandal showed that the penalty system in the judiciary was no longer a deterrent for companies.
“Companies will continue as they have done because fines for criminal offenses are always lower than those for administrative offenses and the current regulations states that criminal charges takes precedence in legal procedure,” Chen said.
This hurts the civil servants who are tackling the matter and it is causing the power of the public and the safety of consumers to wither at their roots, because companies are likely to get only a slap on the wrist for their wrongdoings, Chen said.
The foundation called on the government to come up with a solution to the judicial penalties, adding that unless the government emphasizes penalties, its efforts to fight fake products are meaningless.
Chen said that in the Chang Chi case, the settlement called on the companies to reimburse both the downstream stores and the employees who were dismissed, but did not cover consumers.
The courts must help consumers instead of letting perpetrators of such incidents walk out on bail for a mere NT$50,000, Chen said.
DEFENSE: The first set of three NASAMS that were previously purchased is expected to be delivered by the end of this year and deployed near the capital, sources said Taiwan plans to procure 28 more sets of M-142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS), as well as nine additional sets of National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile Systems (NASAMS), military sources said yesterday. Taiwan had previously purchased 29 HIMARS launchers from the US and received the first 11 last year. Once the planned purchases are completed and delivered, Taiwan would have 57 sets of HIMARS. The army has also increased the number of MGM-140 Army Tactical Missile Systems (ATACMS) purchased from 64 to 84, the sources added. Each HIMARS launch pod can carry six Guided Multiple Launch Rocket Systems, capable of
Authorities have detained three former Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TMSC, 台積電) employees on suspicion of compromising classified technology used in making 2-nanometer chips, the Taiwan High Prosecutors’ Office said yesterday. Prosecutors are holding a former TSMC engineer surnamed Chen (陳) and two recently sacked TSMC engineers, including one person surnamed Wu (吳) in detention with restricted communication, following an investigation launched on July 25, a statement said. The announcement came a day after Nikkei Asia reported on the technology theft in an exclusive story, saying TSMC had fired two workers for contravening data rules on advanced chipmaking technology. Two-nanometer wafers are the most
TRAJECTORY: The severe tropical storm is predicted to be closest to Taiwan on Wednesday and Thursday, and would influence the nation to varying degrees, a forecaster said The Central Weather Administration (CWA) yesterday said it would likely issue a sea warning for Tropical Storm Podul tomorrow morning and a land warning that evening at the earliest. CWA forecaster Lin Ting-yi (林定宜) said the severe tropical storm is predicted to be closest to Taiwan on Wednesday and Thursday. As of 2pm yesterday, the storm was moving west at 21kph and packing sustained winds of 108kph and gusts of up to 136.8kph, the CWA said. Lin said that the tropical storm was about 1,710km east of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost tip, with two possible trajectories over the next one
CHINA’s BULLYING: The former British prime minister said that he believes ‘Taiwan can and will’ protect its freedom and democracy, as its people are lovers of liberty Former British prime minister Boris Johnson yesterday said Western nations should have the courage to stand with and deepen their economic partnerships with Taiwan in the face of China’s intensified pressure. He made the remarks at the ninth Ketagalan Forum: 2025 Indo-Pacific Security Dialogue hosted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Prospect Foundation in Taipei. Johnson, who is visiting Taiwan for the first time, said he had seen Taiwan’s coastline on a screen on his indoor bicycle, but wanted to learn more about the nation, including its artificial intelligence (AI) development, the key technology of the 21st century. Calling himself an
RSS