Taichung City Upholds Food Safety Line; Mayor Lu Calls for Stronger Oversight Ahead of National Law Amendment

The Taichung City Council convened its 4th Council's 8th Regular Session today (28th), with numerous councilors raising concerns over the Chung Lien carcinogenic oil incident, including the central government's recent announcement allowing 19 batches of oil products to be relisted and the subsequent amendment of the Food Safety Act. Taichung Mayor Lu Hsiao-yen stated that food safety is national security, and since the incident, the city government has adhered to the principles of 'investigate and disclose as we go' and 'full removal if in doubt.'

Regarding the central government's recent announcement permitting 19 batches of products to return to shelves, the city government strongly expressed disagreement and refused to cooperate. Mayor Lu urged the central government to promptly amend the Food Safety Act and review its SOPs, and until such amendments are completed, the Taichung City Government will take proactive measures.

Councilors including Jiang He-shu, Lin Qi-feng, Huang Jia-tian, Chen Yu-rong, Shi Zhi-chang, Lin Hao-you, Wu Pei-yun, Yang Da-hong, Huang Shou-da, Zhu Nuan-ying, Chen Shu-hua, Qiu Ai-shan, Lin De-yu, Lai Yi-huang, Zhang Fen-yu, Huang Xin-hui, Zhou Yong-hong, Chen Ting-xiu, Li Tian-sheng, Wu Qiong-hua, Jiang Zhao-guo, and Wang Li-ren raised issues concerning the relisting of 19 oil batches, reporting mechanisms for businesses, and the Food Safety Act amendment.

Mayor Lu stated that immediately after the incident, the city government jointly conducted inspections with health authorities and legally penalized businesses that delayed reporting, demonstrating the strictest possible commitment to safeguarding public health. For products suspected of containing carcinogens, the city opposes using concentration levels as the criterion for relisting, advocating instead that 'if in doubt, fully remove from shelves.' Therefore, the city refused to comply with the central government's recent announcement allowing partial relisting. The city also visited the four oil manufacturers—Chung Lien, Fumao, Fushou, and Taishan—urging them to fulfill their social responsibilities. All four companies responded positively, currently maintaining a no-shipment, no-shelf policy.

Mayor Lu pointed out that in past food safety incidents, the standard procedure has been immediate disclosure and immediate removal. Following this precedent, the Taichung City Government discloses findings as they emerge, promptly halting the circulation of problematic products. Nearly a month has passed since the incident, yet the cause of the contaminated oil remains undisclosed, and full accountability has not been established—indicating a gap between current systems and public expectations.

Under the current Food Safety Act, oil product testing primarily relies on manufacturers' self-reporting, creating potential for delayed notifications. Mayor Lu stated she has repeatedly raised these issues with the central government, urging swift legislative reform. The central government must thoroughly review its decision-making mechanisms, promptly amend the Food Safety Act to improve management systems and emergency SOPs, establish preventive mechanisms from the source, strengthen targeted inspections of major oil producers, and provide a clear explanation to the public. Pending legislative completion, she has directed relevant departments to implement necessary measures to reduce the risk of similar incidents recurring.