A Taichung-based company was found to have sold chemicals meant for industrial use to several downstream companies for the manufacture of seasoning powder products, affecting more than 200 food companies nationwide, the Changhua County Public Health Bureau said yesterday.
Taichung’s Changhua District Prosecutors’ Office began investigating the Yi Hsing Trading Company (誼興貿易) after it was notified of health bureau findings in November last year that the Ching Hsing Hang Powder Manufacturing Factory (進興行製粉廠) and Junn Shing Pepper Powder Factory Ltd (進興製粉有限公司) had allegedly added magnesium carbonate intended for industrial use to pepper powder, the health bureau said.
On Monday, prosecutors and health agency officials raided seven locations in Changhua City and in Taichung’s Dali (大里), Taiping (太平) and Cingshuei (清水) districts.
“The raids led prosecutors to the discovery that Yi Hsing proprietor Lin Chung-chu (林中柱) had allegedly been selling magnesium carbonate for industrial use to Ching Hsing Hang and Junn Shing since 2003,” the office said in a news release issued yesterday.
The office said that the two companies then used the chemical to manufacture gourmet powder products, including pepper, chili and curry powders.
Magnesium carbonate — an inorganic salt — is a drying agent that can prevent clumping, it added.
Officials said that Lin confessed to charges of fraud and violations of the Act Governing Food Safety and Sanitation (食品安全衛生管理法) when he was brought in for questioning on Monday night.
The office added that he was released on NT$50,000 bail.
The bureau’s Food Safety Section director Lin Yu-fen (林毓芬) said that the agency has traced Yi Hsing sales to a third downstream company, Changhua-based Cheng Ching Gourmet Powder Manufacturing Co (澄清製粉行).
“According to business records of the implicated companies from 2012 to last year, it is estimated that they have used the substance in question to produce 81 tonnes of seasoning powder involving 39 different products, including white pepper powder, black pepper powder, food colorings No. 6 and No. 7, and steamed meat powder,” Lin Yu-fen said.
A preliminary investigation showed that the questionable seasoning powders have been sold to 207 firms in 16 cities and counties, she added.
Lin Yu-fen said edible magnesium carbonate is a legitimate food additive primarily used to absorb moisture in seasoning powders.
“However, magnesium carbonate that is intended for industrial applications could contain heavy metals such as lead and arsenic because it is less refined. Long-term consumption of the substance can lead to liver and renal impairment,” she said.
The price difference between food-quality magnesium carbonate and that meant for industry could be the cause of the alleged transgression, Lin added.
The first global hotel Keys Selection by the Michelin Guide includes four hotels in Taiwan, Michelin announced yesterday. All four received the “Michelin One Key,” indicating guests are to experience a “very special stay” at any of the locations as the establishments are “a true gem with personality. Service always goes the extra mile, and the hotel provides much more than others in its price range.” Of the four hotels, three are located in Taipei and one in Taichung. In Taipei, the One Key accolades were awarded to the Capella Taipei, Kimpton Da An Taipei and Mandarin Oriental Taipei. Capella Taipei was described by
EVA Airways today confirmed the death of a flight attendant on Saturday upon their return to Taiwan and said an internal investigation has been launched, as criticism mounted over a social media post accusing the airline of failing to offer sufficient employee protections. According to the post, the flight attendant complained of feeling sick on board a flight, but was unable to take sick leave or access medical care. The crew member allegedly did not receive assistance from the chief purser, who failed to heed their requests for medical attention or call an ambulance once the flight landed, the post said. As sick
The Taichung District Court yesterday confirmed its final ruling that the marriage between teenage heir Lai (賴) and a man surnamed Hsia (夏) was legally invalid, preventing Hsia from inheriting Lai’s NT$500 million (US$16.37 million) estate. The court confirmed that Hsia chose not to appeal the civil judgement after the court handed down its ruling in June, making the decision final. In the June ruling, the court said that Lai, 18, and Hsia, 26, showed “no mutual admiration before the marriage” and that their interactions were “distant and unfamiliar.” The judge concluded that the couple lacked the “true intention of
INDUSTRY: Beijing’s latest export measures go beyond targeting the US and would likely affect any country that uses Chinese rare earths or related tech, an academic said Taiwanese industries could face significant disruption from China’s newly tightened export controls on rare earth elements, as much of Taiwan’s supply indirectly depends on Chinese materials processed in Japan, a local expert said yesterday. Kristy Hsu (徐遵慈), director of the Taiwan ASEAN Studies Center at the Chung-Hua Institution for Economic Research, said that China’s latest export measures go far beyond targeting the US and would likely affect any country that uses Chinese rare earths or related technologies. With Japan and Southeast Asian countries among those expected to be hit, Taiwan could feel the impact through its reliance on Japanese-made semi-finished products and
RSS