New rules covering food delivery safety that were promulgated on Wednesday would not be enforced until a consensus is reached, Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Director-General Chiang Chih-kang (姜至剛) said yesterday.
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 penalties were not the main focus.
Photo: 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 could be fined up to NT$200 million (US$6.7 million), the new rules say.
They also stipulate that food containers used in the delivery process must be sealed and insulated, and during transportation, the food must be fully wrapped, with measures in place to prevent contamination and avoid drastic temperature fluctuations.
There must also be controls in place for delivery time and temperature, and personnel must be assigned to manage hygiene.
Food workers preparing ready-to-eat food would also be 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 to have long nails, nail polish, art or stickers, the rules state.
The scope of application has also been expanded from manufacturers to all operators in the food industry.
Liu Fang-ming (劉芳銘), a division chief at the FDA, on Wednesday told reporters that when someone is 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) yesterday 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 change 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 promulgated, Wang said, adding that the FDA had not received any feedback.
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.
There would be challenges for food stalls to comply with the new regulations, as many of them are small operators, legislators said.
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.
The Ministry of Finance this afternoon announced the winning numbers for the March-April uniform invoice lottery. The winning number for the NT$10 million (US$318,060) special prize is 19531471, and the winning number for the NT$2 million grand prize is 85941329. Three numbers were drawn for the NT$200,000 first prize: 07225810, 20231230 and 83518781. Those with receipts matching the last seven digits of any of the first-prize numbers will win the NT$40,000 second prize, while those matching the last six digits will win the NT$10,000 third prize. Those whose receipts match the last five digits of the first-prize numbers can claim the NT$4,000 fourth prize,
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