The Taipei City Government is to allocate nearly NT$45 million (US$1.40 million) for additional tests and new equipment following a series of recent food poisoning outbreaks, Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) said Thursday.
At a briefing at the city council, Chiang said the amount would be used to ramp up examinations, with about NT$38.5 million, or 86.5 percent of the budget, going toward the purchase of new equipment.
The government plans to establish a five-member examination group for 11 foodborne diseases, such as bongkrek acid, norovirus and beta-nitro propionicacid, he said, adding that it would also launch an examination project capable of analyzing 800 to 1,000 samples a year.
Photo: Tien Yu-hua, Taipei Times
The budget comes from the limited resources of Taipei’s health department, which has only 14 staffers in charge of food testing. In the event of a food poisoning outbreak, they would have to stop their operations of other examination equipment to aid in emergency testing, Chiang said.
These measures were taken in response to several food poisoning outbreaks from late last month, led by the deadly case of a branch of Malaysian restaurant Polam Kopitiam in Taipei’s Xinyi District (信義), the first domestic case induced by a rare toxin called bongkrek acid.
A total of 23 people in Taipei have been affected in the case as of Wednesday last week, including two deaths and 21 hospitalizations, 16 of whom have been discharged, Chiang said.
In addition, Polam International Co, which runs the restaurant chain, has been fined NT$3.5 million, mainly due to the lack of product liability insurance, Chiang said.
Following the Polam Kopitiam case were two restaurants in the same building in the Ximending (西門町) shopping district run by Wowprime Corp and Bafang Dumpling in Taipei’s Beitou District (北投).
The Wowprime case has seen 155 people seek medical attention, displaying symptoms such as vomiting and diarrhea as of yesterday.
Both restaurants have been temporarily closed since Saturday last week, the day the case was first reported.
Chiang said no anomalies were detected by the Taipei Water Department and Department of Environmental Protection, which sampled and tested the building’s water source and the water supply from the building’s water dispensers.
Meanwhile, Wowprime apologized to its customers and staffers and announced that it would compensate those involved.
In addition to making phone calls to customers who visited the two restaurants between April 2 and Saturday last week, the company said they would all receive full refunds with receipts.
The company will cover all medical expenses between April 2 and 11 of those involved as long as they provide receipts, and it will also offer compensation payment with indefinite amounts based on each case, it said.
The Taipei Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) Wanda-Zhonghe Line is 81.7 percent complete, with public opening targeted for the end of 2027, New Taipei City Mayor Hou You-yi (侯友宜) said today. Surrounding roads are to be open to the public by the end of next year, Hou said during an inspection of construction progress. The 9.5km line, featuring nine underground stations and one depot, is expected to connect Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall Station to Chukuang Station in New Taipei City’s Jhonghe District (中和). All 18 tunnels for the line are complete, while the main structures of the stations and depot are mostly finished, he
The first global hotel Keys Selection by the Michelin Guide includes four hotels in Taiwan, Michelin announced yesterday. All four received the “Michelin One Key,” indicating guests are to experience a “very special stay” at any of the locations as the establishments are “a true gem with personality. Service always goes the extra mile, and the hotel provides much more than others in its price range.” Of the four hotels, three are located in Taipei and one in Taichung. In Taipei, the One Key accolades were awarded to the Capella Taipei, Kimpton Da An Taipei and Mandarin Oriental Taipei. Capella Taipei was described by
Taipei is to implement widespread road closures around Taipei 101 on Friday to make way for large crowds during the Double Ten National Day celebration, the Taipei Department of Transportation said. A four-minute fireworks display is to be launched from the skyscraper, along with a performance by 500 drones flying in formation above the nearby Nanshan A21 site, starting at 10pm. Vehicle restrictions would occur in phases, they said. From 5pm to 9pm, inner lanes of Songshou Road between Taipei City Hall and Taipei 101 are to be closed, with only the outer lanes remaining open. Between 9pm and 9:40pm, the section is
The Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Vancouver, Canada, on Saturday hosted a reception to celebrate Double Ten National Day. Conservative Canadian lawmaker Marc Dalton called Taiwan a “beacon of courage and resilience in the face of rising authoritarianism,” according to a post on the Taiwan in Vancouver Facebook page. Also in attendance were fellow conservative caucus members Tako Van Popta and Chak Au, who said that Taiwan plays an “indispensable role” in ensuring global peace, prosperity and stability due to its strategic position in the Indo-Pacific region, it said. Canadian lawmaker Michael Cooper also recorded a message wishing Taiwan a
RSS