BBC Examines Taiwan's Toxic Oil Scandal: Carcinogenic Oil Enters Major Convenience Stores, Why Did Food Safety Systems Fail?

Taiwan's major cooking oil producer 'Chung Lien Oils' has had its soybean salad oil found to contain超标 levels of the Group 1 carcinogen 'benzo(a)pyrene' (BaP), involving 2,600 metric tons and affecting 360 downstream businesses, including supermarkets, restaurants, and convenience stores. Salad oil is a commonly used cooking oil in Taiwan, also known as vegetable oil or soybean oil in other regions. The incident has exposed flaws in the inspection mechanism: although the manufacturer's initial test in April showed no超标, a downstream company's self-inspection in May detected超标. However, the notification was only passed upstream through the supply chain, and the regulatory authority did not receive the report until late June—over 50 days later—allowing the contaminated oil to spread nationwide. Experts have told BBC Chinese that the government should consider revising the reporting mechanism so that testing agencies must directly notify regulatory authorities upon detecting超标. Manufacturers should also commission two or more laboratories to test samples simultaneously to reduce retesting time.

How did the carcinogenic oil circulate across Taiwan? Chung Lien Oils was established in 1995, with shareholders including Taisun Enterprise, Fushou Industrial, and Fumao Oils. The company has a maximum annual production capacity of 210,000 metric tons, holding about one-third of the market share. Its oils are processed by midstream manufacturers into blended oils and sesame oils, then supplied to downstream retailers, food manufacturers, and restaurants.

On July 1, Taiwan's Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced that it received a notification from Chung Lien on June 30, revealing that a batch of approximately 1,300 metric tons of soybean salad oil produced in April was found to contain benzo(a)pyrene levels as high as 8.1 micrograms per kilogram—four times the legal limit of 2 micrograms per kilogram. On July 8, the FDA further announced that blended oil from another major oil producer, Taisun Enterprise, also tested超标 for benzo(a)pyrene. The raw material came from another batch of Chung Lien's soybean salad oil, involving 1,309 tons, distributed among Taisun, Fushou, and Fumao.

In total, over 2,600 metric tons of soybean salad oil were found to contain超标 carcinogens, raising public concerns about food safety. As of July 8, the FDA reported that the affected oil reached 360 downstream businesses, with 348 having products enter the market, including Daquanlian, Carrefour, Louisa Coffee, and Guilin. The agency has issued a preventive recall list of 401 items, including food products from well-known restaurants and major convenience stores.

Taiwan's Ministry of Education recently found that 623 schools and 258 kindergartens may have used the contaminated oil and has ordered immediate cessation of use.

Benzo(a)pyrene is classified by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) as a Group 1 carcinogen, a polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) formed from incomplete combustion or thermal decomposition of organic matter. On July 4, the FDA convened an expert meeting to analyze the cause of benzo(a)pyrene in soybean salad oil, suggesting it may be related to excessive moisture in imported Brazilian soybeans. Prolonged drying and fumigation processes may lead to 'thermal damage,' generating benzo(a)pyrene and other substances.

Why did the safety mechanism fail? The oil scandal has spread nationwide, prompting criticism over regulatory loopholes. Current administrative regulations under the Food Safety Act require edible oil manufacturers to conduct inspections 'at least once every six months or per batch.' Chung Lien emphasized in a statement that it conducts quarterly inspections. Records show that on April 22, Chung Lien detected benzo(a)pyrene at 1.6 micrograms per kilogram—high but still within the legal limit.

After the raw material was shipped in April, downstream manufacturer Nanchiao detected超标 on May 13 through self-inspection. Nanchiao sent samples to a third-party lab for retesting, confirmed超标, and notified upstream supplier Fushou. Fushou then reported to Chung Lien on June 11, and Chung Lien retested and confirmed超标 before finally notifying the Ministry of Health and Welfare on June 30—over a month and a half later—allowing the contaminated oil to circulate nationwide.

According to Article 7 of the Food Safety Act, food businesses must halt production, processing, sales, and initiate recalls, and report to local county or city governments when they 'discover products posing a risk to health and safety.'

Tseng Yi-yung,理事长 of the Taiwan Food Technologists Association, told BBC Chinese that the incident reveals a gap in understanding of Article 7 between industry and government. The industry interprets 'products' as finished goods requiring reporting, while raw material issues create ambiguity in reporting responsibilities. However, the government believes manufacturers must report even if only raw materials are problematic.

Additionally, sample testing typically takes two weeks, and even with expedited processing, about one week is needed. Tseng noted that food businesses often fear false positives and conduct retesting, causing time delays in reporting. He recommends revising the reporting mechanism so that testing labs are required to directly notify regulatory authorities upon detecting超标, allowing the government to decide on next steps. Secondly, to avoid sampling errors, manufacturers should send samples to two or three testing institutions simultaneously, saving retesting time. Current regulations require listed companies and specific businesses with capital over NT$100 million to establish laboratories. He suggests future regulations should specify lab equipment and mandatory testing items to improve efficiency.

Minister of Health and Welfare Shih Chong-liang stated that the government will comprehensively review the current oil management system, clarify potential systemic flaws, instruct local health bureaus to strengthen market inspections, and expand FDA testing of refineries and oil production processes.

Sudden Shift in Recall Policy The food safety crisis has drawn criticism over the government's recall policy. On July 4, the FDA announced that products containing less than 20% contaminated oil do not need to be recalled, leaving disclosure to businesses. On July 7, the policy shifted to a full recall, sparking fierce criticism from opposition parties. The Kuomintang and Taiwan People's Party demanded Shih Chong-liang take political responsibility and resign.

Shih admitted that the initial policy created ambiguity for frontline enforcement officers and apologized for the confusion caused by the policy change. He stated that as long as he remains in office, he will fully dedicate himself to the health and well-being of the people.

Several involved companies were heavily fined. Nanchiao was fined NT$3 million (approximately USD 93,000; CNY 635,000). Chung Lien was found to have delayed reporting and was penalized under the Food Safety Act and Administrative Penalty Act, receiving a record-breaking fine of NT$165.2 million (approximately USD 5.14 million; CNY 34.99 million).

Historical data shows Taiwan has faced previous cooking oil-related food safety crises. In 2014, police uncovered illegal operators producing so-called 'gutter oil' from waste cooking oil, with hundreds of tons entering the market. In 2013, Dafu and Fumeixiang were exposed for mixing cheaper oils into premium oils for sale.