Toxic Oil Food Safety Scandal: 7 Batches Found Non-Compliant! Food Safety Act to Introduce 10 Major Revisions, Establishing Central Command Mechanism

Amid the escalating food safety scandal involving Zhonglian Oils, Executive Yuan Premier Cho Jung-tai personally convened a meeting on the 20th to announce inspection progress and reaffirm the government’s commitment to legislative reform. A draft amendment featuring ten key points will be submitted this Thursday, including the establishment of a central command mechanism. The Taiwan Food and Drug Administration (FDA) conducted a comprehensive review of 30 batches of oil products manufactured by Zhonglian Oils between April and June this year. Excluding five previously confirmed non-compliant batches and export products, 24 remaining batches were tested, revealing two additional non-compliant batches. This brings the total number of non-compliant batches to seven.

Premier Cho emphasized that the government will handle the food safety incident based on the principles of prioritizing food safety, risk management, information transparency, and protecting public rights. Actions will be grounded in scientific evidence and must ensure 'factory inspections, traceability of distribution, and product removal' to safeguard consumer interests.

To comprehensively strengthen the regulatory system, Premier Cho will formally propose amendments to the Food Safety and Hygiene Management Act and related subordinate regulations during this Thursday’s Executive Yuan meeting. The legislative overhaul focuses on five core areas: source management, process control, anomaly reporting, quality assurance, and digital governance, with ten specific reform priorities.

High-risk food manufacturers will be required to increase the frequency of self-inspections, and a certification system for in-house laboratories will be established for specific enterprises. Laboratory management and reporting obligations will also be strengthened. Third-party verification agencies will be integrated into the sampling and reporting system, and local authorities will establish risk-based audit frameworks to close existing inspection loopholes.

On enforcement and management, the amendment clearly strengthens manufacturers’ obligations to report anomalies. Penalties for delayed, concealed, or false reporting will be significantly increased, and asset preservation mechanisms for fine enforcement will be introduced. The traceability scope for high-risk manufacturers will be expanded, and clear guidelines will be established for product recalls, preventive removals, and re-listing procedures. To respond to major food safety crises, a central command mechanism will be established to ensure timely coordination and deployment of administrative resources.

Regarding the investigation progress at Zhonglian Oils, batches that passed inspection will be reviewed at a Food Risk Assessment Consultative Council meeting convened by the FDA tomorrow (21st) to determine next steps. Meanwhile, the FDA has commissioned the Food Industry Research and Development Institute to form an independent investigation team, which will enter Zhonglian Oils tomorrow to comprehensively examine manufacturing and quality management processes, aiming to clarify the cause of the incident and determine responsibility within one week.

Premier Cho stated that the government will fully leverage lessons learned from the Zhonglian Oils case to enhance national food safety governance through legal improvements, establishing a more robust protective system. The goal is to safeguard public health to the highest standards, ensuring consumers can purchase with confidence and eat with peace of mind.