Taipei’s Department of Health and Office of Market Administration yesterday launched a joint inspection of seafood vendors at the Huannan Market (環南市場) in the Wanhua District (萬華) after a food company manager told Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) that some vendors were using large quantities of chemicals in the seafood they sell, endangering public health.
Lian Qin Trading Co (連秦進出口貿易公司) vice president Chan Chih-yuan (詹智淵) told Ko at a forum on Thursday night that some vendors add chemicals to shrimp, oysters and scallops they sell to make the seafood tastier and appear fresher.
Lian Qin is a food delivery service company based in Taipei that specializes in unprocessed seafood.
Chan said that some vendors mix 2kg of phosphate with 10kg of oysters to make them look more plump, adding that the amount of phosphate being used “is clearly excessive” and threatens public health.
Yesterday’s probe focused on shrimp, which officials said often have chemicals added to them, and found that all seven seafood stalls at the market were selling shrimp in sealed bags or cartons, indicating that the shrimp had not been reprocessed before being sold to businesses downstream.
As of press time last night, officials at the agencies had tracked down seven upstream suppliers, five of which are based in New Taipei City.
The department said it had asked New Taipei City officials to deliver suspicious seafood for laboratory testing.
Taipei Consumer Services Center Director Ho Hsiu-lan (何修蘭) said small businesses found to have sold adulterated food must completely refund customers according to the Act Governing Food Safety and Sanitation(食品安全衛生管理法).
She said that if such businesses knowingly sourced adulterated food, they could face penalties equivalent to five times the losses suffered by consumers, including any expenses related to medical bills.
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