Up to 62 percent of outlet stores in Taipei City do not label their bulk foods as required by law, the Consumers’ Foundation reported yesterday, citing spot checks.
Under the revisions to the Food Sanitation and Management Act (食品衛生管理法) that took effect on Jan. 1, store operators must ensure that information on the labels of bulk foods is complete and accurate and that the product name, manufacturer and place of origin are listed, the foundation said.
Violators can face fines ranging from NT$30,000 (US$940) to NT$150,000, or NT$40,000 to NT$200,000, depending on the seriousness of the offense. Operators were given a grace period of 10 days after Jan.1 to comply with the new rules.
PHOTO: CHANG CHIA-MING, TAIPEI TIMES
The foundation recently carried out a series of spot checks at 21 outlets on the labeling of bulk foods and found that 13 stores had failed to list their products’ place of origin. These stores included major hypermarkets such as Carrefour Tazhi store, Far Eastern Geant Tazhi store, RT-Mart Chunglun outlet and Pxmart Tunnan outlet, Consumers’ Foundation chairman Hsieh Tien-jen (謝天仁) said.
Sungching Supermarket Xinyi store had labeled most items correctly, but one of its products from Chile was mistakenly labeled as imported from Australia/New Zealand, Hsieh said.
Hsieh said the foundation would encourage the authorities to fine the supermarket between NT$40,000 and NT$200,000 for that mistake, as it had misinformed customers.
He said that fresh vegetables, fruit, meat and processed food sold at Sogo Supermarket Zhongxiao store and an outlet of Jason’s Market Place on Chengde Road were all properly labeled.
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