The recent food safety crisis could serve as a turning point for the nation’s food industry if the government, manufacturers, wholesalers and the public make a joint effort to resolve the situation, the Taiwan Association for Food Science and Technology said on Monday at a forum on food safety.
All the representatives of civic groups present at the forum agreed that it is the government’s duty to ensure the safety of food “from the field to the table,” which it can achieve by strengthening and rigorously enforcing food regulations, providing transparent and free access to food safety information, and adhering to international food safety standards, the association said in a statement.
Lucy Sun (孫璐西), a National Taiwan University professor of food science and technology and a honorary member of the association’s board, urged the government to immediately take three critical steps: First, it should eradicate the presence of harmful chemicals in food products by writing into law severe criminal punishments for those who violate regulations.
Second, it should launch a whistle-blowing platform to encourage the reporting of dubious practices, with rewards and protection offered to informants.
Third, the government should establish a “food police force, who can accompany food sanitation and safety inspectors when they conduct spot checks at factories,” Sun said.
According to a report presented by the Food and Drug Administration at the 2011 National Food Safety Conference, there are 102,202 registered food manufacturers, and 263,293 food stalls and registered food businesses nationwide.
In contrast, there are only 471 people in charge of inspecting food, which means that every inspector is responsible for 96 food manufacturers and 555 businesses.
Consumers’ Foundation board member Hwang Yu-sheng (黃鈺生) suggested revising the current food labeling regulations to require manufacturers to list ingredients and additives separately.
“Food product labels have to be clear and easily understood by consumers, and one way of achieving this is to have different labels for raw materials and additives,” Huang said.
Calling on food manufacturers and wholesalers to improve their self-management, Nutrition Society of Taiwan honorary director-general Wang Chin-kun (王進崑) encouraged businesses to only hire qualified food specialists as purchasing agents to guarantee the professional management of food products throughout the production and retailing chain.
For their part, consumers should carefully examine the products they purchase, Homemakers United Foundation president Chen Man-li (陳曼麗) said, cautioning buyers against purchasing products with unclear labels or substandard packaging.
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫), spokeswoman Yang Chih-yu (楊智伃) and Legislator Hsieh Lung-chieh (謝龍介) would be summoned by police for questioning for leading an illegal assembly on Thursday evening last week, Minister of the Interior Liu Shyh-fang (劉世芳) said today. The three KMT officials led an assembly outside the Taipei City Prosecutors’ Office, a restricted area where public assembly is not allowed, protesting the questioning of several KMT staff and searches of KMT headquarters and offices in a recall petition forgery case. Chu, Yang and Hsieh are all suspected of contravening the Assembly and Parade Act (集會遊行法) by holding
PRAISE: Japanese visitor Takashi Kubota said the Taiwanese temple architecture images showcased in the AI Art Gallery were the most impressive displays he saw Taiwan does not have an official pavilion at the World Expo in Osaka, Japan, because of its diplomatic predicament, but the government-backed Tech World pavilion is drawing interest with its unique recreations of works by Taiwanese artists. The pavilion features an artificial intelligence (AI)-based art gallery showcasing works of famous Taiwanese artists from the Japanese colonial period using innovative technologies. Among its main simulated displays are Eastern gouache paintings by Chen Chin (陳進), Lin Yu-shan (林玉山) and Kuo Hsueh-hu (郭雪湖), who were the three young Taiwanese painters selected for the East Asian Painting exhibition in 1927. Gouache is a water-based
Taiwan would welcome the return of Honduras as a diplomatic ally if its next president decides to make such a move, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said yesterday. “Of course, we would welcome Honduras if they want to restore diplomatic ties with Taiwan after their elections,” Lin said at a meeting of the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee, when asked to comment on statements made by two of the three Honduran presidential candidates during the presidential campaign in the Central American country. Taiwan is paying close attention to the region as a whole in the wake of a
OFF-TARGET: More than 30,000 participants were expected to take part in the Games next month, but only 6,550 foreign and 19,400 Taiwanese athletes have registered Taipei city councilors yesterday blasted the organizers of next month’s World Masters Games over sudden timetable and venue changes, which they said have caused thousands of participants to back out of the international sporting event, among other organizational issues. They also cited visa delays and political interference by China as reasons many foreign athletes are requesting refunds for the event, to be held from May 17 to 30. Jointly organized by the Taipei and New Taipei City governments, the games have been rocked by numerous controversies since preparations began in 2020. Taipei City Councilor Lin Yen-feng (林延鳳) said yesterday that new measures by
RSS