Taiwan Sugar Failed to Report Benzopyrene Detection in May? Deputy Mayor Cheng: We Would Have Fined If HQ Were in Taichung

The benzopyrene超标 incident involving Chung Lien Oils continues to escalate. Taiwan Sugar reportedly discovered abnormal test results in Chung Lien's oil products as early as May but failed to notify regulatory authorities, sparking public controversy. Taichung Deputy Mayor Cheng Chao-hsin, appearing on Storm Media's program 'Xia Ban Han Ni Liao,' stated that the core issue is not how many times local governments conducted inspections, but why the company did not report the findings upon discovery and the existing loopholes in the third-party testing system.

Cheng emphasized that Taichung City's policy has always been 'disclose wherever we find issues.' Any problematic oil products are immediately removed from shelves as a preventive measure. 'There should be no guessing games about whether 20%, 21%, or 19% contamination is acceptable,' he said, stressing that restoring consumer confidence should be the government's top priority after a food safety incident.

Regarding Taiwan Sugar's reporting obligations, Cheng stated that 'local governments share the same stance'—Taichung, Kaohsiung, and Tainan have all acted in accordance with the law. The real problem, he said, lies with manufacturers failing to self-report as required by law and the lack of mandatory reporting obligations for third-party testing agencies. He urged legal reforms to establish a mandatory third-party reporting system.

According to publicly available information, Kaohsiung City has already forwarded Taiwan Sugar's related documents to Tainan City, as Taiwan Sugar's headquarters is located in Tainan. 'Kaohsiung City has done its part,' Cheng noted, adding that the next step depends on how Tainan City interprets and acts upon the received data. He pointed out that Tainan's Food Safety Management Autonomous Ordinance requires reporting within 48 hours in such cases, and any penalties should be determined based on this ordinance.

When host Huang Wei-han asked what Taichung would do if Taiwan Sugar's headquarters were registered in Taichung instead of Tainan, Cheng responded directly: 'We would issue a fine—just issue the fine.' He also revealed that Chung Lien Oils failed to report to Taichung authorities after learning that Taiwan Sugar rejected the problematic oil, leading Taichung to impose another penalty on Chung Lien.

Cheng also called on President Lai Qing-te, noting that Tainan's food safety ordinance was established during Lai's tenure as mayor. 'Since you enacted this regulation, you must have a firm stance on it,' Cheng said, urging Lai to publicly express his position on food safety. 'When you show strong leadership, people will follow.' He reiterated that the core issue is closing the reporting loophole through legal reform.

More exclusive reports from Storm Media: · Taiwan Sugar's carcinogenic oil scandal deepens! Hsu Chiao-hsin reveals Chairman Wu Ming-chang's close ties with Lai: 'He's a staunch Lai ally' · Taiwan Sugar's latest report: 'Oil didn't enter factory premises, so no reporting required' — Shih Chong-liang: 'Legally not obligated' · Clash with Huang Wei-che! Accused of 'political positioning,' Prosecutor Chen Hung-da responds: 'This is a legal issue, not political'