Control Yuan: Cancerous Betel Nut Lacks Specific Legislation, Urgently Demands Executive Yuan Review

(Central News Agency, Taipei, July 7) The Control Yuan stated today that betel nut was classified as a Group 1 carcinogen by the International Agency for Research on Cancer in 2003, yet the Executive Yuan has been slow to implement specific legislation to manage the health hazards of betel nut. The Executive Yuan even claimed that public opinion polls needed to be conducted first. The government not only permits the public to chew betel nut and turns a blind eye to the rampant use of pesticides, but the medical costs for oral cancer are also borne by the public. Therefore, the Control Yuan strongly urges the Executive Yuan to direct its subordinate agencies to review and improve the situation.

Control Yuan members Chao Yung-ching, Fan Hsun-lu, and Hsiao Tzu-yu stated in a press release that the Control Yuan has long been concerned about the issue of betel nut carcinogenicity since its 4th term and has previously censured the Executive Yuan. After nearly six years of long-term tracking by the current Control Yuan members on the Executive Yuan's improvement efforts, the Ministry of Health and Welfare had announced draft "Betel Nut Health Hazard Prevention Act" in 2024 and 2025. However, the Executive Yuan has not yet approved it and has stated that public opinion polls are still needed to understand the public's perception of the necessity and support for specific legislation.

Control Yuan members pointed out that over 10,000 people in Taiwan are diagnosed with oral cancer and esophageal cancer annually. Taiwan has the highest incidence rate of oral cancer in the world, and its mortality rate remains high. The National Health Insurance expenditure for oral cancer and esophageal cancer was approximately over 8 billion points in 2020, and it exceeded 15.2 billion points by 2025, nearly doubling.

Control Yuan members said that according to a 2023 survey by the Health Promotion Administration, the rate of past betel nut chewing among junior and senior high school students was 2.8%, and the awareness rate of betel nut's carcinogenicity was only 57.2%. Especially since betel nut is often consumed with "red and white lime" (slaked lime and areca nut powder), it is unclear if it contains heavy metals and other unknown toxins, or if preservatives, flavorings, and traditional Chinese medicines of unknown origin are added. It can be described as "poison on top of poison." However, because betel nut is neither a crop nor a food, it is in a state of "no law to govern it."

Control Yuan members also stated that betel nut cultivation is detrimental to soil and water conservation, yet the planting area for betel nut is second only to rice. Although the Ministry of Agriculture has been carrying out betel nut field abandonment and guidance for crop conversion since 2014, with a target of 4,800 hectares at the time, the actual achievement rate was only 15%. Subsequent efforts for field abandonment and conversion have been made, but as of October 2025, the domestic betel nut planting area is still as high as 36,000 hectares, indicating that the effectiveness of the Ministry of Agriculture's field abandonment and crop conversion guidance is quite limited.

Control Yuan members pointed out that Turkey classified betel nut as a narcotic in 2014. Thailand, a major producer and consumer of betel nut, has banned the import and sale of betel nut due to oral cancer being the country's leading cancer. Australia and New Zealand have regulations prohibiting the import, sale, or processing for sale of betel nut and food products containing betel nut ingredients.

Chao Yung-ching told CNA reporters that the public pays extreme attention to oils that exceed carcinogen limits, yet the government turns a blind eye to betel nut, which has been declared a "carcinogen" by the United Nations. This absurd situation urgently needs to be resolved through specific legislation. In addition to aspects such as pesticide and heavy metal additive testing, which were covered in the previously announced draft, imports should also be prohibited, mandatory warning labels should be implemented, health contributions should be considered, and the public should be educated about the hazards and carcinogenic risks of betel nut. (Editor: Hsieh Chia-chen) 1150707

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