No maggots or other disease vectors were discovered in an inspection of a Bafang Yunji (八方雲集) branch in Taipei after a customer allegedly received an infested takeout box, but inspectors did find six cleanliness violations, the Taipei Department of Health said on Wednesday.
The department conducted the inspection following controversy generated by a Facebook post on Tuesday.
In the post, a user said her sister found maggots in a container of potstickers she ordered from a Bafang Yunji location in Taipei’s Neihu District (內湖) over Ubereats on Aug. 30.
Photo screengrab from Facebook
They reported the incident to the company’s customer service line, which sent representatives to apologize, the poster said, but added that they later reported to the department out of concern for public health.
The department said it on Tuesday sent inspectors to the Bafang Yunji branch, but did not find any flies, maggots or other disease vectors.
However, they did identify six health violations, including personal items in food preparation areas and dirty appliances, it said, adding that it has been instructed to correct the infractions.
Another inspection would be conducted after the deadline, with a fine of between NT$60,000 and NT$200 million (US$1,878 and US$6.26 million) possible if corrections have not been made, the department said.
Bafang Yunji in a statement said that no other customers of the Neihu branch made similar complaints on the day of the incident, nor has such an incident ever occurred before.
It also said it adheres to strict food safety standards, including heating the grill to over 140°C so that no living creature could survive.
The Ministry of Education (MOE) is to launch a new program to encourage international students to stay in Taiwan and explore job opportunities here after graduation, Deputy Minister of Education Yeh Ping-cheng (葉丙成) said on Friday. The government would provide full scholarships for international students to further their studies for two years in Taiwan, so those who want to pursue a master’s degree can consider applying for the program, he said. The fields included are science, technology, engineering, mathematics, semiconductors and finance, Yeh added. The program, called “Intense 2+2,” would also assist international students who completed the two years of further studies in
Former president Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) departed for Europe on Friday night, with planned stops in Lithuania and Denmark. Tsai arrived at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport on Friday night, but did not speak to reporters before departing. Tsai wrote on social media later that the purpose of the trip was to reaffirm the commitment of Taiwanese to working with democratic allies to promote regional security and stability, upholding freedom and democracy, and defending their homeland. She also expressed hope that through joint efforts, Taiwan and Europe would continue to be partners building up economic resilience on the global stage. The former president was to first
Taiwan will now have four additional national holidays after the Legislative Yuan passed an amendment today, which also made Labor Day a national holiday for all sectors. The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) used their majority in the Legislative Yuan to pass the amendment to the Act on Implementing Memorial Days and State Holidays (紀念日及節日實施辦法), which the parties jointly proposed, in its third and final reading today. The legislature passed the bill to amend the act, which is currently enforced administratively, raising it to the legal level. The new legislation recognizes Confucius’ birthday on Sept. 28, the
MORE NEEDED: Recall drives against legislators in Miaoli’s two districts and Hsinchu’s second district were still a few thousand signatures short of the second-stage threshold Campaigners aiming to recall Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) legislators yesterday said they expect success in 30 out of 35 districts where drives have passed the second-stage threshold, which would mark a record number of recall votes held at once. Hsinchu County recall campaigners yesterday announced that they reached the second-stage threshold in the recall effort against Legislator Lin Szu-ming (林思銘). A total of 26,414 signatures have been gathered over the past two months, surpassing the 10 percent threshold of 23,287 in Hsinchu County’s second electoral district, chief campaigner Hsieh Ting-ting (謝婷婷) said. “Our target is to gather an additional 1,500 signatures to reach