Members of Green Party Taiwan (GPT) and food safety advocates yesterday called on government agencies to reflect upon their food safety policies and improve control over food sources, while also questioning the Ministry of Health and Welfare’s motive behind relaxed regulations on the registration of food products containing compound ingredients.
GPT Joint Chairman Lee Keng-cheng (李根政) said that, from the gas pipeline explosions in Greater Kaohsiung last month to the ongoing lard oil scandal, it is evident that there has been a major problem with national governance.
He said that having access to clean food is a basic human right and that the food scare serves as a wake-up call, reminding the government it is time that it reflected upon its food safety policies.
Citing Article 22, Clause 2 of the Act Governing Food Safety and Sanitation (食品安全衛生管理法), GPT policy consultant Frida Tsai (蔡培慧) said the clause had been surreptitiously amended on Feb. 5, causing confusion in the labeling of ingredients used in food products.
Tsai said the current version of the act stipulates that if a product’s contents include compounds consisting of two or more ingredients, the ingredients shall be clearly labeled on the product’s packaging according to their quantities.
However, the previous version of the act ordered that not only the ingredients shall be listed, but also the percentage of ingredients used to produce the compounds, as well as when and how the compounds were added to the product.
She said that companies such as food oil manufacturer Chang Guann might mix lower-cost oils, such as industrial oils and feed oils, to cut their manufacturing costs, and that governing authorities, including the Ministry of Health and Welfare and the Ministry of Economic Affairs, must ensure transparency in their policymaking.
Wang Wen-hau (汪文豪), cofounder of News & Market, an online news outlet covering food safety and agriculture, urged better management of additives and ingredients, especially compound additives, which food manufacturers could mix with lower-cost ingredients to increase their margins.
He said that instead of having food manufacturers outsource inspection work to third-party certification institutions, central and local authorities should step up factory inspections and crack down on unlicensed food oil companies.
Saying that there is a lack of accountability among the Council of Agriculture, the Environmental Protection Administration and the Ministry of Health and Welfare when a food safety crisis emerges, he also urged that a dedicated agency be established to address food safety.
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