The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) yesterday said an expanded food safety monitoring program to examine 17 types of food products would be officially implemented starting on July 31.
The policy, announced on April 21, stipulates that food companies that manufacture edible oil, processed meat, dairy products, seafood, food additives, special nutrients, soy, corn, wheat, flour, starch, salt, sugar, soy sauce, tea and tea-based beverages, and general merchandise retailers (not including department stores) must conform to a food safety monitoring program starting on July 31.
FDA Division of Food Safety official Hsu Chao-kai (許朝凱) said “the companies will be required to submit a food safety monitoring plan, which includes their commitment to ensure food safety, their standard operating procedures, hazard analysis and mandatory examinations.”
The program will be implemented in a few stages, starting at the end of the month, he said.
Hsu said general merchandise retailers include supermarkets, distributors, hypermarkets and convenience stores, and that they will be required to conduct regular examinations on six types of food — the concentration levels of food additives contained in daylily products, dried radish and preserved fruits; and microorganisms in ready-to-serve food and fresh cut fruit and vegetables.
FDA section chief Wu Hsi-wen (吳希文) said nearly 400 food additive manufacturing companies must complete their food safety monitoring plans by July 31; and about 190 edible oil importers and general merchandise retailers, as well as 20 chain stores must conduct mandatory examinations by that date.
He said that if the companies fail to set food safety monitoring plans or fail to execute the plan, the agency can order them to improve within a given time period, or else face a fine between NT$30,000 and NT$3 million (US$936 and US$93,601), according to the Act Governing Food Safety and Sanitation (食品安全衛生管理法).
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