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Health chief slams China for delaying food test results

Department of Health (DOH) Minister Yeh Ching-chuan (葉金川) condemned his Chinese counterpart yesterday for stalling over the test results of melamine-tainted non-dairy creamers.

The safety of Chinese food products was a hot topic at the legislature’s Health, Environment and Labor Committee during a review of the health department’s budget. Yeh came under fire from Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) legislators for the lack of information from Beijing on the tests of imported creamers.

“I hereby express stern objections to China’s Ministry of Health,” Yeh said, adding that his department was pushing its Chinese counterpart on the issue every day and he did not know why there had been no reply.

In August, the department reported that 25 tonnes of melamine-tainted milk powder had been imported. Non-dairy creamers imported by King Car Co were also found to contain melamine, an industrial chemical banned as a food additive.

The supplier of the tainted creamers — Shandong Duqing Co — has not apologized.

DPP Legislator William Lai (賴清德) accused the health department of being “helpless, weak and incapable” in the face of China’s “delaying tactics.” He demanded the department take more effective measures against China.

“There should be more substantive measures than just expressing condemnation,” Lai said. “If Duqing does not offer a satisfactory answer, we should ban Chinese food imports altogether.”

All food products and ingredients imported from China should be clearly labeled, Lai said, and compensation should be paid if any products cause harm to Taiwanese businesses or consumers.

Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) lawmakers also voiced concern over Chinese food imports.

KMT Legislator Daniel Hwang (黃義交) asked the health department to pass on the legislature’s concerns to the Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Strait delegation that arrived yesterday for talks.

Yeh said the contents of the proposed cross-strait agreement on food safety would specify that China must impose strict regulations on its exports to ensure that they pass Taiwan’s standards.
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