Print

Mail

wiki links

Health officials unveil `food safety colors'

Health authorities yesterday unveiled what they called a new system of food-safety indicators, but officials seemed to be unclear on the precise details of the plan and said they would work them out at a later date.

The "red-, yellow- and green-light system" was designed to allow consumers to differentiate between hazardous and safe foods, according to health officials at a press conference yesterday, but as it does not involve actually labeling or marking unsafe food products, it was not immediately apparent how it would change the way that consumers learned a food product was unsafe.

Still, officials said "everyone understands" the traffic light concept, and asserted that this would enable the public to decipher the food-safety system.

At the event, Department of Health (DOH) Minister Hou Sheng-mou (侯勝茂) said that the government must work together with businesses and consumer groups to ensure food safety.

Consumers normally receive information about hazardous foods through media reports, Hou said, but the DOH believes it can raise consumer awareness.

And that could be achieved through the new system, officials said. Health officials would hold a press conference to rate the safety of a suspect food product, which would allow the information to be delivered to the public -- through media reports.

"Consumers are very important. They have the power to make market prices rocket, and the power to let prices crash," said the secretary-general of the Consumers' Foundation, Huang Yi-teng (黃怡騰).

"Therefore, we must do our best to protect the rights of our consumers," Huang said.

The new indicators -- if that is the appropriate term for a system without physical symbols -- each stand for food safety levels, and were developed jointly by the Department of Health, the Environmental Protection Agency and the Council of Agriculture.

The red color indicates foods that are harmful to consumers and should be banned, such as rotting pork, while a green light means that the product is safe to consume.

A yellow color falls in between, indicating foods that have a large amount of additives or preservatives, but that do not pose a great threat to our health, such as rice noodles made from corn.

"The rice noodles may not taste the same made from corn, but it is properly labeled on the package and poses no health threats, so consumers can decide for themselves whether they want to consume such a product," said Chen Shu-kung (陳樹功), the director of the Bureau of Food Safety.

Although the officials went to great lengths to explain the difference between the colors, they were at a loss when reporters asked if the system would involve somehow marking food items.

"The lines are still blurred between the indicators," Chen said. But the bureau would consult with academics, specialists and consumer groups to further discuss the precise definitions of the indicators, he said.

The system will not be applied to all foods, Chen said. It will be applied case by case to foods that are suspected of being unsafe either by the media or consumers themselves.

When a product has been brought to question, the assessment will be made in 6 to 8 hours, and will be announced accordingly, Chen said.

Meanwhile, the DOH has already set up a hazardous food hotline for consumers to call in 0800-625748.
This story has been viewed 2004 times.