Chung Lien to Voluntarily Remove Oil and Food Products Manufactured April-June by Noon on the 10th

(CNA) Taipei, July 9 - Regarding the issue of carcinogen benzo(a)pyrene exceeding standards in Chung Lien oil products, Minister of Health and Welfare Shiu-Chung Liang stated today that non-compliant products were found in Chung Lien's April and May oil production batches. Both batches of problematic oil must be fully removed from shelves. Furthermore, all oil products and first and second-tier food products manufactured by Chung Lien from April to June must be preemptively removed from shelves, and this must be completed by noon tomorrow.

Chung Lien's "Soybean Salad Oil" was found to have exceeded the standard for the carcinogen benzo(a)pyrene, with 1,300 metric tons flowing to companies including Taishan, Fwusow, and Fwumao. On July 2, the Ministry of Health and Welfare (MOHW) required businesses to remove and recall the first-tier affected products. On July 4, it mandated the preemptive removal of original oil products and processed foods containing more than 20% of the affected oil. On July 7, it announced that processed foods with less than 20% content also needed to be preemptively removed.

Shiu-Chung Liang explained at a press conference after the Executive Yuan meeting today that the incident was initially discovered by Nan Chiao on May 13, but the regulatory authority was not notified until June 30. Therefore, after receiving the notification, the MOHW took a series of actions, including the complete removal of all products from the three companies, Taishan, Fwusow, and Fwumao, which directly received oil from Chung Lien, on July 3. For the 360 businesses that received oil from Taishan, Fwusow, and Fwumao, involving 401 items, their removal was completed on July 8.

Shiu-Chung Liang stated that regarding accountability, in addition to the ongoing investigation by judicial authorities into Chung Lien's internal reporting violations and management issues, the regulatory authority has already imposed fines for violations of the Food Safety and Sanitation Act regarding notification requirements.

Shiu-Chung Liang said that after receiving the notification of exceeding standards from Nan Chiao on June 30, it was later confirmed that the problematic oil was manufactured in April. On the evening of July 7, Taishan again reported oil products, and tracing back revealed that they were manufactured by Chung Lien in May. This means that non-compliant products were found in Chung Lien's April and May oil production batches, and the results of internal self-testing were inconsistent with downstream testing results.

Shiu-Chung Liang pointed out that to ensure the highest food safety standards for the public, there is no room for compromise. Therefore, it was announced today that these two batches of problematic oil must be fully removed from shelves. Furthermore, all oil products manufactured by Chung Lien from April to June, including first and second-tier food products, must be preemptively removed from shelves. All removals must be completed by noon tomorrow, and sales can only resume after testing confirms they are safe. (Editor: Lin Shu-yuan) 1150709

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