Zhonglian Oil Case: Chiang Wan-an Calls for Evidence Preservation and Investigation

(CNA) Taipei, July 8 - Regarding the Zhonglian oil case where carcinogens exceeded standards, Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an stated today that in addition to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) imposing heavy penalties based on illegal facts, investigative authorities should also preserve evidence and launch an investigation. However, he criticized the initial decision to withhold the list of affected businesses and the standard for product removal, which was later reversed after public outcry, and said the central government owes all citizens an apology.

The Zhonglian oil case, involving exceeding standards for the carcinogen benzo(a)pyrene, saw the Ministry of Health and Welfare's FDA initially announce a list of businesses using the problematic oil and a standard requiring products with over 20% of the affected soybean salad oil to be removed from shelves. This standard later changed to apply regardless of the percentage.

In response, Chiang Wan-an, who was attending a disaster preparedness meeting at the Taipei City Disaster Response Center today, told reporters that this Zhonglian toxic oil incident has wide-ranging implications. He believes it's not just about the 1,300 metric tons of oil that flowed into the market, but also about how many citizens, including schoolchildren, have already consumed it. Therefore, he noted that the FDA, in accordance with the Food Safety and Sanitation Act, has imposed heavy penalties on businesses for malicious concealment and for selling products known to be problematic.

He reiterated his call for investigative authorities to conduct a thorough investigation and to immediately preserve evidence to clarify the truth as soon as possible and provide a clear explanation to the public.

Secondly, Chiang Wan-an said that the central government's initial decision to withhold the list of downstream businesses, only releasing it after widespread criticism, and its initial decision to only remove products containing over 20% of the affected oil, allowing products with less than 20% to remain on the market, was a significant reversal after public criticism and questioning. He believes the central government owes all citizens an apology.

Furthermore, he reiterated his previous calls, stating that this incident has impacted public health and safety, public confidence, and the overall industry economy. He hopes the central government will establish a cross-city food safety notification platform to enable local governments to quickly cross-reference and investigate, allowing for the fastest possible preventive removal of affected products. He also urged comprehensive testing of upstream oil suppliers to confirm the presence of Class 1 carcinogens and whether they exceed standards, in order to restore public confidence. (Editor: Li Hsi-chang) 1150708)

Choose to stand with the facts. Your every donation is a force to protect press freedom.

Download the CNA "First Hand News" APP to get the latest news in real time.

Text, images, and videos on this website may not be reproduced, publicly broadcast, publicly transmitted, or used without authorization.