Health inspectors in Taipei and Taoyuan yesterday surveyed supermarkets, breakfast restaurants and bakeries, recalling 19 types of products made by Far East Oil Mills Co (遠東油脂) that were last week found to contain expired ingredients.
A joint inspection by the Taoyuan Health Department and the Taoyuan District Prosecutors’ Office last week found that the company used expired margarine and clarified butter in 19 products, including its popular margarine sold in yellow cans.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) yesterday said it has asked the nation’s four major convenience store chains and major distributors to remove from shelves or recall all 19 products with expiration dates between Wednesday last week and Sept. 30.
As of 4pm yesterday, about 20 tonnes of the products had been removed from shelves and local health departments were continuing their inspections to speed up the recall process, the agency said.
The Taipei Department of Health yesterday said it has contacted the manager of the company’s direct sales store in the city and sent officials and inspectors there.
Wang Ming-li (王明理), the head of the department’s Food and Drugs Division, said they discovered that the store only distributes products to 63 bakery suppliers in northern Taiwan, while the logistics and management of 1,052 downstream vendors are run by the company’s headquarters in Taoyuan.
Only 23kg of recalled margarine products were found at the store, and the department has sent inspectors to 27 bakery suppliers in the city and informed related local health departments about the other suppliers, she said.
During the inspection, a company manager surnamed Hsieh (謝) arrived at the store and said that the employees used expired ingredients by accident, when they adulterated expired ingredients with new ones, adding that there are no more than 20 tonnes of tainted products.
He said the company is investigating the case and it apologizes to the public, adding that people who have purchased the tainted products can return them for a refund.
Wang said the department also ordered the company to contact the suppliers and make sure they recalled the 19 products by midnight yesterday or face a fine of between NT$30,000 and NT$100,000.
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