New rules covering food delivery safety that were promulgated yesterday would not be enforced until a consensus is reached, Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Director-General Chiang Chih-kang (姜至剛) said.
The FDA promulgated revisions to the Regulations on Good Hygiene Practices for Food (食品良好衛生規範準則), including new rules that bar delivery workers from smoking, chewing betel nut or gum, or engaging in other behaviors that could contaminate the food.
However, officials said that punishments were not the main focus.
Photo: Chiu Chih-jou, Taipei Times
If food delivery workers smoke, fail to keep food items securely packaged or demonstrate other behavior that could contaminate orders, the company they work for can be fined up to NT$200 million (US$6.67 million), the new rules say.
Food containers used in the delivery process must be sealed and insulated, they say.
Before delivering food, equipment should be inspected to ensure cleanliness and hygiene, they say.
During transportation, the food must be fully wrapped, with measures in place to prevent contamination and avoid drastic temperature fluctuations, they say.
There must also be controls in place for delivery time and temperature, and personnel must be assigned to manage hygiene, including overseeing the cleanliness of delivery staff and delivery containers, the rules say.
The revised regulations stipulate that food workers preparing ready-to-eat food are prohibited from handling money or other items that pose a risk of contamination.
Personnel working in food preparation areas must keep their hands clean and are not allowed long nails, or nail polish, art or stickers, the amendments say.
Cosmetics, medication or other substances applied to the skin must not be allowed to contaminate the products, they say.
The revisions also include changes to rules covering manufacturing processes and quality control, inspection and measurement controls, as well as documentation and record-keeping.
In addition, the scope of application has been expanded from manufacturers to all operators in the food industry.
Liu Fang-ming (劉芳銘), a division chief at the FDA, yesterday told reporters that when individuals are found to have contravened the regulations, companies that fail to make improvements within a prescribed period would face a fine of NT$60,000 to NT$200 million.
However, Minister of Health and Welfare Chiu Tai-yuan (邱泰源) today said that the ministry would prioritize giving guidance and advice, adding that the aim of the new regulations is to improve food safety.
Workers in the industry can rest assured that the “status quo” would not be changed immediately, but they have to pay attention, Chiu told reporters before a meeting of the Legislative Yuan’s Finance Committee in Taipei.
Asked if there would be targeted inspections, Chiu said that the issue was still being discussed.
Food workers would not be punished if they are willing to correct their behavior, FDA Deputy Director-General Wang Der-yuan (王德原) told the committee.
The new regulations were announced more than one year before they were implemented, Wang said.
The FDA had not received any feedback regarding the new rules, he said.
There are about 125,000 stalls across Taiwan, more than half of which are in the food and beverage industry, Directorate-General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics data showed.
Legislators said that there would be challenges for food stalls to comply with the new regulations, as many of them are small operators.
Chiang told the committee that the grace period would be “indefinite.”
Industry representatives and vendors would be consulted to reach a consensus before the new rules are enforced, he added.
Consumers’ Foundation chairman Teng Wei-chung (鄧惟中) said that the foundation is happy that the FDA is promoting a policy that would improve food safety.
The grace period is acceptable, but there should be a timetable for the policy to be fully implemented, Teng said.
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