Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) lawmakers and dairy farmers yesterday urged the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to tighten its content labeling rules for milk to protect consumers and the domestic agriculture industry.
New FDA regulations promulgated on Tuesday last week stipulate that only pure milk can be labeled as “fresh milk,” but content labeling is not universally required, DPP Legislator Chung Chia-pin (鍾佳濱) told a news conference at the legislature in Taipei.
Milk bearing the commercial grade label could be used in beverages at cafes or drink shops, or sold in legal, but deceptive, packaging at retailers to unsuspecting customers, Chung said.
Photo: Chen Yi-kuan, Taipei Times
Big-name manufacturers are selling Australian dairy imports that contain additives as fresh milk in visually deceptive containers, he said without naming the companies.
The government should emulate the EU’s consumer protection rules against misleading packaging in food products, he said.
The FDA said that advertising commercial-grade milk as fresh milk contravenes food labeling requirements, which can result in a repeatable fine of up to NT$4 million (US$133,534).
Consumers should report falsely advertised products to the 1919 hotline or call the FDA directly, it said.
Dairy farmers are under pressure to compete with cheap imported milk falsely labeled as quality natural milk, Gau Dah Ranch Co chairman Chen Tung-chieh (陳東杰) said.
Regulators should take steps to ensure that people know that the fresh milk used in beverages at cafes and drink shops is what it claims to be, he said.
Beverage manufacturers should be required to disclose the type of milk being utilized in making their products if they want to sell to school lunch programs, DPP Legislator Jean Kuo (郭昱晴) said.
School nutritionists could be expected to plan healthy meals for children if they do not know what is being used in the food, she added.
Additional reporting by Lee Wen-hsin
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