The Bureau of Food Safety of the Department of Health yesterday vowed it would crack down on companies and restaurants that produce or serve food without adhering to the regulations set by the department, as it unveiled a set of measures designed to improve sanitation.
One of the measures would be to create an inspection team composed of experienced health inspectors from Taoyuan County and Taipei City and County, as opposed to the previous method of having teams focus on a single area.
Having these three areas cooperate would not only bring about "healthy competition" between local health bureaus, but would also prevent inspectors from being pressured or bribed by companies or restaurants in their own locality, Department of Health Minister Hou Sheng-mou (侯勝茂) said.
Unlike previous crackdowns -- in which food and drugs were inspected simultaneously -- food alone will be the focus of this series of inspections, said Chen Shu-kung (
Weeks before the Mid-Autumn Festival, which falls on the 15th day of the eighth lunar month each year, one of the major inspection drives will be to ensure that the preservatives and additives in moon cakes are within the regulated amount. Children's food will be another area the bureau will pay special attention to.
Inspection categories are to include the sanitation of the manufacturing process, additive and preservative amounts and worker hygiene.
This type of inspection will be a long-term project, Chen added, and there will be periodic crackdowns, starting in Taipei.
The health inspectors headed to the Howard Hotel and E.G. Sain in Taipei for inspections yesterday, sporting matching purple vests with "Department of Health Inspection Team" printed across the back.
Chen said the times and dates of the inspections would be kept secret.
"It is more effective that way," Chen said.
"When the manufacturers don't know we're coming, the inspection results will be more realistic," Chen added.
The department has decided to go to the source of food production, examining factories and ingredients, instead of inspecting only the final product. The department hopes that through the newly established inspection teams, they can continue to fulfill their goal of ensuring a healthy Taiwan, Hou said.
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