Twelve hotels, some with five stars, have been fined for failing to meet food safety standards, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said.
The FDA tested 116 food products at 58 hotels between April and July to confirm if their food services were in compliance with the Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) and Good Hygiene Practices management systems.
The tests found that bean curd strips at the Palais de Chine Hotel in Taipei contained hydrogen peroxide, a bleaching agent and anti-bacterial compound, while noodles at Papago International Resort in Taitung contained benzoic acid, a food preservative, the FDA said.
The suppliers of the food items were each fined NT$30,000, the FDA added.
The agency said it found expired food at seven hotels, including the Ambassador Hotel Taipei, Regent Taipei and Grand Hotel Taipei, resulting in fines of between NT$60,000 and NT$300,000.
The other hotels were Taoyuan’s Monarch Skyline Hotel and South Garden Hotels and Resorts, the Ambassador Hotel Hsinchu, and Wen Wan Resort in Nantou County, it added.
The expired food items were mostly dried goods, which are easily overlooked as they have long expiry dates, FDA official Chou Pei-ju (周珮如) said.
Some foods were only a few days past their expiration dates, while others had expired six months earlier, Chou said, adding that among the items were noodles, dried seaweed, paprika, five-spice powder and frozen glutinous rice balls.
The Grand View Resort Beitou Hotel in Taipei was fined NT$240,000 for using baking soda that did not comply with FDA standards, while the Orient Resort Penbay in Pingtung County was fined NT$30,000 for lacking staff with any type of food certification, the FDA said.
The Monarch Plaza Hotel in Taoyuan and Wen Wan Resort in Nantou County were fined NT$60,000 and NT$120,000 respectively for HACCP contraventions, Chou said.
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