Chang Chia-chun Advocates for Mandatory Country-of-Origin Labeling to Prevent 'Origin Washing' of Agricultural Products

To prevent imported agricultural products from undergoing 'origin washing,' Legislator Chang Chia-chun, who previously proposed amending the Food Safety and Sanitation Management Act to mandate country-of-origin labeling, further introduced revised legislation today (5th). The new amendment specifies that the top three ingredients by 'input weight' during manufacturing must be disclosed. It also clearly stipulates that if a product’s name, labeling, or claims refer to specific agricultural, fishery, or livestock ingredients—and the product actually contains those ingredients—the country of origin must be labeled, preventing manufacturers from evading regulations through formula proportions.

Chang emphasized that explicitly stating in the parent law that agricultural-based main ingredients must indicate their origin provides the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) with a 'mandate of authority,' enabling it to require full transparency from manufacturers when establishing labeling guidelines.

The Legislative Yuan's Health and Environmental Committee continued reviewing partial amendments to the Food Safety and Sanitation Management Act today (5th). Chang pointed out that under current regulations, imported agricultural products can be labeled as 'Made in Taiwan' or 'Taiwan' if they undergo so-called 'substantial transformation' in Taiwan. From a consumer perspective, she argued, this constitutes misleading labeling, which is 'extremely unfair to local farmers and severely harms Taiwan's agriculture.'

Since proposing the amendment, Chang stated she has continuously discussed and communicated with consumer protection groups, agricultural stakeholders, and relevant agencies, refining the proposal to balance administrative feasibility with the protection of consumer and farmer rights.

According to the revised draft, the top three main ingredients are determined by input weight during production. Additionally, if a product's name, label, or claim references specific agricultural, fishery, or livestock ingredients and actually contains them, the country of origin of those ingredients must be disclosed—preventing manufacturers from circumventing rules via formulation ratios.

Chang highlighted that the amendment explicitly authorizes administrative agencies to establish detailed regulations while setting a legal 'red line' that country-of-origin information cannot be exempted. This ensures that future subordinate regulations uphold the original intent of protecting consumer right-to-know and do not weaken the amendment's purpose.

Chang stressed that the goal of this legislative push is not to create industry conflict or restrict the use of imported ingredients, but to build consumer trust, protect local farmers, and ensure industry feasibility. She noted that advanced economies such as the European Union and Japan already have similar country-of-origin labeling systems for ingredients.

'Ensuring consumers can purchase with confidence, guaranteeing fair treatment for Taiwan's farmers, and enabling the food industry to develop healthily under transparent and open rules'—this, Chang stated, is the most important objective of amending the Food Safety Act.