Not knowing whether food is safe to eat is probably the biggest worry of the Taiwanese public. From the plasticizer scare in 2011 to the starch scare in May and the current edible oil scare, Taiwan has become known for inferior, adulterated food products. It used to be famous for its cuisine, but now even former president Lee Teng-hui (李登輝) says “you cannot eat out.”
President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) has belatedly demanded “strict investigations and heavy fines, the immediate removal [of adulterated products] from shop shelves, an increase in manpower, a proper budget allocation, and that reporting [of violations] be encouraged and volunteers mobilized.”
The Taipei City Government’s Department of Health received a report that accused Chang Chi Foodstuff Factory Co of adulterating its olive oil in October last year. The authorities tested the product three times without any action being taken and the scandal was only revealed when a Chang Chi employee blew the whistle.
The same thing happened in the plasticizer scare in 2011. On April 7 that year, the Department of Health (DOH) — the precursor of the Ministry of Health and Welfare — discovered that plasticizers had been added to drinks, but only announced this on May 23. At the time, Ma admitted that he was only made aware of it late that month.
There was a similar situation ahead of the starch scare in May. The DOH received a report in February, but local health bureaus only followed it up in April, and the news was only announced in May.
In the edible oil scare, the agency doing the testing has yet to offer a reasonable explanation of why three tests failed to find anything wrong. Could it be collusion between government and business? While prosecutors and investigators took lightning fast action against the companies, they did not accord government officials the same treatment.
Both the inability to find any problems with the products and the procrastination in announcing irregularities makes it clear that unless it has run out of all other options, the government would rather expose the public to hazardous food than offend a manufacturer. In the same way, Ma’s approach to “getting to the bottom of the matter” makes it clear that unless he has run out options, he is not prepared to expose any government officials to “strict investigations and heavy fines.” He will not touch big business, but settles targets medium-sized companies to allow the public to vent their anger.
In the 2011 plasticizer scare, for example, Yu Shen Chemical Co and Pin Han Perfumery Co were singled out, but authorities did not pursue Pin Han’s biggest customer, Uni-President Group. Uni-President argued that it was also a victim and authorities never investigated whether it was aware of what was going on.
Chang Chi imported its cottonseed oil through a big company, and once again, the authorities have no plans to investigate that firm’s culpability.
In both these cases, the cooperation between manufacturers committing the violations and big listed companies had been going on for more than a decade, but the large companies claim they were unaware of what the offending firm was up to. This hard to believe and makes it clear that these big firms only care about profits and lack even the faintest sense of social responsibility.
The government repeatedly fails to detect problems, delays its announcements and fails to investigate government officials or big business. What is the use of encouraging the reporting of violations when the government is unable to manage its agencies, only acts perfunctorily and only calls for “strict investigations and heavy fines” for small and medium-sized enterprises?
Julian Kuo is a former Democratic Progressive Party legislator.
Translated by Perry Svensson
With the Year of the Snake reaching its conclusion on Monday next week, now is an opportune moment to reflect on the past year — a year marked by institutional strain and national resilience. For Taiwan, the Year of the Snake was a composite of political friction, economic momentum, social unease and strategic consolidation. In the political sphere, it was defined less by legislative productivity and more by partisan confrontation. The mass recall movement sought to remove 31 Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) legislators following the passage of controversial bills that expanded legislative powers and imposed sweeping budget cuts. While the effort
There is a story in India about a boy called Prahlad who was an ardent worshipper of Lord Narayana, whom his father considered an enemy. His son’s devotion vexed the father to the extent that he asked his sister, Holika, who could not be burned by fire, to sit with the boy in her lap and burn him to death. Prahlad knew about this evil plan, but sat in his aunt’s lap anyway. His faith won, as he remained unscathed by the fire, while his aunt was devoured by the flames. In some small way, Prahlad reminds me of Taiwan
When Hong Kong’s High Court sentenced newspaper owner Jimmy Lai (黎智英) to 20 years in prison this week, officials declared that his “heinous crimes” had long poisoned society and that his punishment represented justice restored. In their telling, Lai is the mastermind of Hong Kong’s unrest — the architect of a vast conspiracy that manipulated an otherwise contented population into defiance. They imply that removing him would lead to the return of stability. It is a politically convenient narrative — and a profoundly false one. Lai did not radicalize Hong Kong. He belonged to the same generation that fled from the Chinese
President William Lai (賴清德) on Sunday congratulated Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and her Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) on their historic landslide victory in Japan’s general election. The LDP secured the largest single-party majority in post-World War II Japan, winning 316 seats. The win is expected to strengthen ties with Japan’s allies and potentially deter Chinese aggression in the region. American Institute in Taiwan Director Raymond Greene on Monday said that under Takaichi’s leadership, he anticipates deeper coordination among the US, Japan and Taiwan to promote regional stability and prosperity. US President Donald Trump has also shown his strong support for Takaichi,
RSS