Hong Kong will be on guard to see if there are foods there that contain a questionable lard-based shortening from Taiwan, a Hong Kong official said yesterday.
Noting that Taiwanese authorities have identified more than 70 food companies that have been using a type of lard produced by Kao-hsiung-based Chang Guann Co (強冠企業), which was found to contain recycled kitchen oil, Hong Kong Food and Health Bureau Secretary Ko Wing-man (高永文) said that the city would also check whether any foods other than Maxim’s Cakes’ (美心西餅) pineapple buns have been using questionable shortening imported from Taiwan.
Maxim’s Cakes, a Hong Kong company that also has shops in Taiwan, said on Friday that it had recalled all of its pineapple buns after it was discovered that its shortening supplier, Chang Guann, was among the companies using recycled kitchen oil.
Hong Kong authorities will also try to trace the buyers of the tainted lard imported by Dah Chong Hong Kong Holdings from Taiwan, Ko said.
Dah Chong has recalled all related products, pending the investigation by Hong Kong health authorities.
A bakery owner said that its sales of the popular pineapple buns had dropped slightly since the scandal broke late on Thursday, although only Maxim’s Cakes was confirmed to have been using the tainted lard.
A Hong Kong importer of Taiwanese food said that while its products do not contain lard, its sales are likely to drop by 20 percent to 30 percent over the next three months because consumers will be less inclined to buy Taiwanese foods.
Among other businesses in Hong Kong affected by the scandal is Taiwan-based Black Bridge Foods (黑橋牌食品), which had to pull its sticky rice dumplings from the shelves because it was using the substandard shortening in the dumplings’ manufacturing.
EXPANSIONIST: China deploys an average of 40 to 50 warships and coast guard vessels daily in the South China Sea, despite pledges not to militarize the region, an official said China is attempting to expand its influence across the First Island Chain and increase pressure on Japan by sending coast guard vessels into waters off of Taiwan under the pretext of maritime negotiations with Japan and the Philippines, a national security official said yesterday. China’s recent actions in the waters east of Taiwan and Japan and the Philippines’ exclusive economic zones (EEZ) are attempts to establish dominance in First Island Chain waters, said the official who declined to be named, adding that this is “expansion disguised as law enforcement.” Framing China’s actions solely as a cross-strait issue is a serious misjudgment that
Through analyzing fossil evidence, a research team at National Taiwan University (NTU) discovered the largest endemic bird to have lived in Taiwan, naming it Pavo miejue, or extinct peafowl (滅絕孔雀). The Mikado pheasant, which is printed on the back of the NT$1,000 bank note, was previously believed to be the biggest endemic bird to Taiwan. The research team’s findings suggest that Pavo miejue lived during the Pleistocene epoch tens of thousands of years ago. It is the first endemic extinct bird species discovered and formally named in Taiwan. The study was coauthored by NTU Institute of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology professor Tsai Cheng-hsiu (蔡政修),
Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport is to suspend its automated Skytrain service connecting Terminal 1 and Terminal 2 starting on July 1 to facilitate connection works for the upcoming Terminal 3, the airport operator said today. Passengers and staff who need to travel between the two terminals after the suspension can instead use the Taoyuan MRT or the airport's 24-hour shuttle bus service, Taoyuan International Airport Corp said. The Taoyuan MRT Airport Line directly links the two terminals, while the shuttle buses are to operate around the clock, the company added. The Skytrain provides free transportation between the airport’s two terminals for travelers and
Taiwan ranked 42nd in terms of peacefulness among 163 countries, down five places from last year, according to this year’s Global Peace Index. With an overall score of 1.751, Taiwan dropped from 37th last year, the report published by the global Institute for Economics and Peace showed. The overall score measures a country’s level of peacefulness using 23 quantitative and qualitative indicators across three domains — ongoing domestic and international conflict, societal safety and security, and militarization. While Taiwan ranked 42nd worldwide, it was listed in ninth place among the 19 Asian-Pacific countries in the report, after New Zealand, Singapore, Japan, Malaysia,
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