The nation’s bakery industry could be the next victim of the latest cooking oil scandal after oil and fat producer President Nisshin Corp (統清) was found to have processed part of the allegedly animal feed-grade beef tallow it purchased from Ting Hsin Oil and Fat Industrial Co (頂新製油) into baking oil.
“In addition to selling 5.57 tonnes of the 15 tonnes of beef tallow it procured from Ting Hsin Oil via Mitsubishi Corp (Taiwan) to Uni-President Enterprises Corp (統一企業), its parent company, on May 30, President Nisshin used the remaining 9.43 tonnes of the potentially problematic oil to manufacture three kinds of baking oil products,” FDA Interim Director-General Chiang Yu-mei (姜郁美) told a press conference in Taipei.
The three products were “W202 Fu Shih Hsiang Bakery Oil” (富士香烘焙專用油) and “W102 Chi Hua Bakery Oil” (奇華專用烘焙油) — which were manufactured on May 30 and exported to Hong Kong — and “16JSBO (P) Ching Shih Chi shortening” (金世紀酥油), which was manufactured on June 6 and sold locally, Chiang said.
Photo: CNA
A preliminary investigation by the Greater Tainan Government’s Department of Health showed that President Nisshin used the beef tallow to produce almost 27 tonnes of baking oil, including 16 tonnes of Fu Shih Hsiang Bakery Oil, 3.2 tonnes of Chi Hua Bakery Oil and 7.696 tonnes of Ching Shih Chi shortening.
The investigation results suggested that the potentially tainted batch of shortening was sold to 26 bakery shops and food material companies nationwide, which reportedly included bakery chain Rose Pie (薔薇派).
As of press time last night, the administration had yet to receive a formal response from Vietnamese authorities to its repeated questions on whether the 2,476 tonnes of beef tallow Ting Hsin Oil had imported from Vietnam-based Dai Hanh Phuc Co over the past three years were fit for human consumption.
“Hence, all implicated companies are still required to remove their potentially problematic products from the shelves by midnight [yesterday],” Chiang said.
Separately yesterday, Uni-President interim spokesman Tu Chung-cheng (涂忠正) said consumers who have purchased the company’s 19 kinds of recalled products that were made with Ting Hsin Oil’s questionable oil can request refunds at its 7-Eleven convenience stores nationwide until Dec. 31.
“Uni-President and its subsidiary President Nisshin both unknowingly used the allegedly problematic tallow from Ting Hsin Oil, but we will begin offering refunds to consumers across the country starting today [yesterday],” Tu said.
Tu made the announcement a day after the FDA ordered a preventive recall of the company’s 17 types of instant noodle products and two spicy Japanese oden packs, following the discovery that they were manufactured using the 5.57 tonnes of refined beef tallow it bought from Ting Hsin Oil.
Uni-President vice president Tony Su (蘇崇銘) said refunds are available to consumers who can present purchase invoices or product packages, regardless of where they bought those food products.
Su said Uni-President, the nation’s largest food manufacturer, faces a loss of between NT$700 million and NT$800 million (US$23.3 million and US$26.6 million) over the scandal.
Additional reporting by staff writer and CNA
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