The government yesterday announced eight measures to increase oversight on food, including increases in fines and sentences for people convicted of adulterating foodstuffs.
Premier Jiang Yi-huah (江宜樺) told a press conference that the government is increasing fines and rewards for informants, establishing a central government hotline, tightening control on edible oil products, ensuring waste oil is properly recycled, establishing a three-tier quality-control system, establishing a tracking system for foodstuffs and would overhaul the Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) system.
Maximum prison sentences for people convicted of adulterating foodstuffs or improper advertising were raised to seven years, while fines were raised from NT$8 million to NT$80 million (US$265,000 to US$2.6 million), Jiang said.
Photo: CNA
Personnel or companies who knowingly manufacture products proved harmful are liable to prison sentences from seven years to life, up from one to seven years, or NT$200 million in fines, up from NT$20 million, Jiang said.
Manufactures found responsible for the death of consumers face a minimum of seven years in prison up to a life sentence, with fines of up to NT$150 million, a change from current regulations, which have the same prison sentences, but company fines of up to NT$20 million.
Companies found to have produced food that causes severe harm to consumers can now be fined up to NT$150 million, compared with NT$15 million previously, Jiang said.
Jiang said the government followed world trends and had avoided death penalties, adding that it hoped to find other means to deter criminal activity rather than increase the number of death row inmates.
Deputy Minister of Health and Welfare Hsu Ming-neng (許銘能) said the ministry was considering removing item 5 from Article 44 of the Food and Sanitation Act (食品衛生安全法), which covers the principle of double jeopardy, after the ministry canceled a NT$1.85 billion fine on Chang Chi Foodstuff Factory Co in an adulterated oil scandal last year.
Current regulations state that any given crime can only be punished according to one law, with certain regulations, such as the Criminal Code, holding precedence in legal hierarchy.
Jiang said rewards would be raised to 20 percent of fines issued from 10 percent previously, adding that the Executive Yuan also set up a clause to double rewards to current or former employees who reveal illegal conduct.
The government gave a NT$2 million reward to a 60-year-old farmer in Pingtung County who was a key figure in exposing the recent edible oil scandal, Jiang said.
Meanwhile, the Food and Drug Administration yesterday released a new list of products that were suspected to have been made using Chang Guann Co’s allegedly tainted lard products, but have now been cleared.
The list showed 52 products from 28 businesses after the food manufacturers reported to their respective municipal health agencies.
Chi Mei Frozen Food Co had all of its 20 baozi and dumpling skin products relisted, including baozi made with bamboo shoot stuffing, which were sold at 7-Eleven stores, the list showed.
Other brands include glutinous oil rice company Tyzek Food, and pastry and cake company Kuo Yuan Ye Foods, whose glutinous rice meal, and mushroom and stewed meat bride cake have been relisted.
Additional reporting by Sean Lin
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