Government officials and legislators yesterday gave support for the establishment of an agency to supervise and regulate the use of chemical additives and toxic substances in food processing and other industries.
A draft bill was reviewed at a meeting of the legislature’s Judiciary and Organic Laws and Statutes Committee, with the idea of setting up the body under the Environmental Protection Administration (EPA), after the draft was approved by the Executive Yuan earlier this month.
EPA Minister Lee Ying-yuan (李應元) said that if the bill passes the legislature, he hopes the agency, tentatively known as the Bureau of Toxicology and Chemical Substance Management, can begin operations by the end of next year.
“Taiwan has had several food scandals in recent years. Companies used illegal additives in food processing which caused much public anxiety about food safety, as well as harm to public health,” Lee said during the committee meeting.
“The food scandals have severely damaged our national reputation for international trade. In many instances, exports were sent back, leading to great financial losses’ “ he said.
“In one case, exports to 22 countries were returned. We believe it is time to set up this agency to ensure better management and control of our food safety standards,” Lee said.
Listing several national food scandals, Lee said authorities had uncovered companies using malachite green to preserve fish and shrimp, and street vendors adding industrial-grade magnesium carbonate powder to spices for Taiwanese-style fried chicken.
Both are illegal food additives in Taiwan. Malachite green is a known carcinogen and magnesium carbonate powder can have high levels of heavy metals, officials said.
The agency is to expand its database from 310 to about 3,000 substances used as food additives to strictly control chemical used and trace their flow from suppliers to downstream producers that can be accessed via “cloud.”
“It is important to trace controlled chemicals from their source and follow their journey from suppliers,” Lee added.
Lee said the agency’s initial annual budget would be NT$600 million (US$18.81 million), and it would have 80 employees, including a technical unit for hazardous materials control and an international unit for liaising with researchers and obtaining data in other countries.
The agency is also expected to establish a 24-hour hotline for reporting pollution and for advice on handling toxic materials and hazardous waste, with teams to monitor and trace the movement of vehicles transporting hazardous materials, as well as enforced checks on chemical additives used in the food industry.
Lee also said there is a need to consolidate mechanisms into one body for inter-department collaboration, compiling databases and other tasks, as the current regulations on chemicals and toxic substances cover 17 different laws and are divided between 11 government agencies and their divisions.
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