Kaohsiung Mayor Chen Chi-mai (陳其邁) yesterday demanded accountability from local health authorities after data tampering by a staff member produced false-positive drug test results in tilapia fillets, prompting a mass recall.
Speaking to reporters, Chen apologized to supermarket chain PX Mart and tilapia farmers for the serious oversight, saying it stemmed from a research assistant at the city’s Department of Health failing to follow standard operating procedures.
“Such a mistake is completely unacceptable,” he added.
Photo: CNA
Earlier this week, the department said it had issued a recall order on Nov. 27 for a product named “Taiwan tilapia fillets” with an expiration date of Sept. 16, 2027, after samples were found to contain enrofloxacin, a bactericide legally permitted in Taiwan for animal use, but not approved for aquatic products.
PX Mart later reported that more than 13,000 packs of the frozen tilapia fillets had already been sold across the nation, but efforts to remove the remaining stock from shelves nationwide were ongoing.
The department said that the 29-year-old research assistant — surnamed Chen (陳) — was responsible for conducting and interpreting the sample tests.
For unknown reasons, she altered the instrument’s settings during sampling, amplifying enrofloxacin values 10-fold and producing exaggerated results, it said.
The testing process relies on fixed procedures, calculation formulas and reaction times, meaning a single incorrect setting can significantly affect the outcome, department Deputy Director-General Pan Chao-ying (潘炤穎) said.
The assistant resigned from the department on Nov. 4, he added.
The Kaohsiung Police Department’s Criminal Investigation Corps said that the woman was questioned on Thursday night and admitted to improperly handling test procedures, including adjusting the instrument’s values.
She was released early yesterday morning.
Prosecutors said they would continue gathering evidence to determine whether her actions were deliberate or due to negligence.
Separately yesterday, Kouhu Fisheries, a Yunlin County-based cooperative that supplied the product to PX Mart, told a news conference that the recall of 120,000 packs has already caused more than NT$12 million (US$383,902) in losses.
Kouhu Fisheries said it would seek compensation only after the total amount of losses is confirmed and, for now, would not pursue government compensation or legal action.
The incident sparked public panic and all of its tilapia products had to be pulled from shelves, which seriously affected its reputation, Kouhu Fisheries general manager Wang Yi-feng (王益豐) said.
He reiterated that the batch in question has since been retested by multiple agencies, and found to contain no contaminants and to fully meet safety standards.
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