Stricter measures will be taken to prevent contaminated food imports from entering the domestic market, a Consumer Protection Commission official said on Friday.
The measures were discussed at an interministerial meeting on Thursday on ways to avert a repeat of incidents such as the sale, earlier this month, of contaminated coconuts from Thailand before safety tests had been completed, said Liu Ching-fang (劉清芳), a section chief at the commission.
Like most other countries, Taiwan allows importers of fresh farm produce and fishery products to take delivery of the goods before food safety examinations are completed to preserve freshness.
But they are required to sign a note promising not to market their products until after the items are certified contaminant-free.
During the meeting, officials from the Department of Health (DOH), the Bureau of Standards, Metrology and Inspection (BSMI), the Directorate General of Customs and local consumer protection offices discussed feasible steps to improve the existing “delivery before examination” mechanism, Liu said.
“It was decided that the DOH should craft a more effective mechanism to track the flow of imported food items,” she said.
From now on, Liu said, the department will be required to notify city and county health bureaus of any produce that fails initial safety tests and that is awaiting the results of conclusive tests.
“That will allow local governments to better prepare themselves to take the necessary measures to block the marketing of produce suspected of containing banned substances,” she said.
Liu said the department would study the feasibility of imposing fines for importers who break their promise to hold the imported items from the market until conclusive test results are available.
Under existing food hygiene management regulations, violators are subject to a fine of NT$40,000 to NT$200,000 (US$1,300-US$6,500).
“The DOH will also evaluate the possibility of bringing criminal charges against serious violators,” Liu said.
As summer is the peak season for coconut consumption, Liu said the department and the BSMI would increase spot checks to prevent contaminated coconuts from being introduced into the local market.
Earlier this month, two shipments of coconuts from Thailand were found to contain residue of the banned fungicide carbendazim.
Only a portion of the coconuts were recalled and destroyed. Although the residue was minimal, regulations ban the sale of any produce containing such a substance.
Carbendazim is used to control a broad range of diseases in crops, fruits and vegetables. Ingestion of the chemical by humans is believed to affect hormonal functions.
The Ministry of Education (MOE) is to launch a new program to encourage international students to stay in Taiwan and explore job opportunities here after graduation, Deputy Minister of Education Yeh Ping-cheng (葉丙成) said on Friday. The government would provide full scholarships for international students to further their studies for two years in Taiwan, so those who want to pursue a master’s degree can consider applying for the program, he said. The fields included are science, technology, engineering, mathematics, semiconductors and finance, Yeh added. The program, called “Intense 2+2,” would also assist international students who completed the two years of further studies in
Former president Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) departed for Europe on Friday night, with planned stops in Lithuania and Denmark. Tsai arrived at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport on Friday night, but did not speak to reporters before departing. Tsai wrote on social media later that the purpose of the trip was to reaffirm the commitment of Taiwanese to working with democratic allies to promote regional security and stability, upholding freedom and democracy, and defending their homeland. She also expressed hope that through joint efforts, Taiwan and Europe would continue to be partners building up economic resilience on the global stage. The former president was to first
Taiwan will now have four additional national holidays after the Legislative Yuan passed an amendment today, which also made Labor Day a national holiday for all sectors. The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) used their majority in the Legislative Yuan to pass the amendment to the Act on Implementing Memorial Days and State Holidays (紀念日及節日實施辦法), which the parties jointly proposed, in its third and final reading today. The legislature passed the bill to amend the act, which is currently enforced administratively, raising it to the legal level. The new legislation recognizes Confucius’ birthday on Sept. 28, the
MORE NEEDED: Recall drives against legislators in Miaoli’s two districts and Hsinchu’s second district were still a few thousand signatures short of the second-stage threshold Campaigners aiming to recall Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) legislators yesterday said they expect success in 30 out of 35 districts where drives have passed the second-stage threshold, which would mark a record number of recall votes held at once. Hsinchu County recall campaigners yesterday announced that they reached the second-stage threshold in the recall effort against Legislator Lin Szu-ming (林思銘). A total of 26,414 signatures have been gathered over the past two months, surpassing the 10 percent threshold of 23,287 in Hsinchu County’s second electoral district, chief campaigner Hsieh Ting-ting (謝婷婷) said. “Our target is to gather an additional 1,500 signatures to reach
RSS