The popularity of China-made wax candies is a significant food safety concern, as they have never been approved by the government, Deputy Minister of Health and Welfare Lin Ching-yi (林靜儀) said yesterday.
As the government has never received applications for imports of the confectionary, all those sold in Taiwan are illegal, Lin said in an interview with the Chinese-language Liberty Times (the sister newspaper of the Taipei Times).
People should think hard whether allowing children to eat something that was illegally imported into the country is a good idea, she said.
Photo: screen grab from the Internet
Lin said she first learned about its popularity among children when she saw it trending online and asked the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) about it.
The FDA said it had not received any application to import the candy, Lin said.
Local trade regulations clearly state that Chinese-made candies and snacks must conform to trade laws between Taiwan and China, she said.
Photo: Chiu Chih-jou, Taipei Times
The products must comply with Article 30 of the Act Governing Food Safety and Sanitation (食品安全衛生管理法), state product origins and undergo tests to see what kind of additives, if any, are included and whether it contains substances banned in Taiwan, she said.
People might buy snacks in China and share them with friends in school, which would be hard to ban, but selling such snacks at night markets or stores is illegal, she said.
City and county bureaus and health departments nationwide are investigating possible infractions, she said, sharing how the Kaohsiung Department of Health on Tuesday fined night market vendors illegally selling the confectionary.
Consumers should be alert when they see product labels that are not clear or do not use a language commonly used in Taiwan.
They must know how to interpret information correctly to protect their health and uphold food safety, she said.
Food safety regulations are constantly being updated, including regulations on labeling, which demand that all products carry information such as the manufacturer’s name, origin and product contents, she said.
The deputy minister added that consumers can verify this information on the Ministry of Health and Welfare Web site and with the Ministry of Agriculture.
PRAISE: Japanese visitor Takashi Kubota said the Taiwanese temple architecture images showcased in the AI Art Gallery were the most impressive displays he saw Taiwan does not have an official pavilion at the World Expo in Osaka, Japan, because of its diplomatic predicament, but the government-backed Tech World pavilion is drawing interest with its unique recreations of works by Taiwanese artists. The pavilion features an artificial intelligence (AI)-based art gallery showcasing works of famous Taiwanese artists from the Japanese colonial period using innovative technologies. Among its main simulated displays are Eastern gouache paintings by Chen Chin (陳進), Lin Yu-shan (林玉山) and Kuo Hsueh-hu (郭雪湖), who were the three young Taiwanese painters selected for the East Asian Painting exhibition in 1927. Gouache is a water-based
A magnitude 4.1 earthquake struck eastern Taiwan's Hualien County at 2:23pm today, according to the Central Weather Administration (CWA). The epicenter of the temblor was 5.4 kilometers northeast of Hualien County Hall, at a depth of 34.9 km, according to the CWA. The earthquake's intensity, which gauges the actual effect of a temblor, was the highest in Hualien County, where it measured 2 on Taiwan's 7-tier intensity scale. The quake also measured an intensity of 1 in Yilan county, Taichung, Nantou County, Changhua County and Yunlin County, the CWA said. There were no immediate reports of damage or injuries.
OFF-TARGET: More than 30,000 participants were expected to take part in the Games next month, but only 6,550 foreign and 19,400 Taiwanese athletes have registered Taipei city councilors yesterday blasted the organizers of next month’s World Masters Games over sudden timetable and venue changes, which they said have caused thousands of participants to back out of the international sporting event, among other organizational issues. They also cited visa delays and political interference by China as reasons many foreign athletes are requesting refunds for the event, to be held from May 17 to 30. Jointly organized by the Taipei and New Taipei City governments, the games have been rocked by numerous controversies since preparations began in 2020. Taipei City Councilor Lin Yen-feng (林延鳳) said yesterday that new measures by
‘WORSE THAN COMMUNISTS’: President William Lai has cracked down on his political enemies and has attempted to exterminate all opposition forces, the chairman said The legislature would motion for a presidential recall after May 20, Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫) said yesterday at a protest themed “against green communists and dictatorship” in Taipei. Taiwan is supposed to be a peaceful homeland where people are united, but President William Lai (賴清德) has been polarizing and tearing apart society since his inauguration, Chu said. Lai must show his commitment to his job, otherwise a referendum could be initiated to recall him, he said. Democracy means the rule of the people, not the rule of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), but Lai has failed to fulfill his
RSS