Officials Under Fire Over Tainted Cooking Oil Scandal
Health and education officials were grilled in the legislature on Monday as lawmakers demanded answers over who should be held accountable for a major cooking oil scandal. The contaminated soybean cooking oil was found to contain more than four times the legal limit of a Grade 1 carcinogen. Despite being flagged months earlier, the products in question remained on shelves for months before being officially recalled. The oil is suspected to have been used in lunches served at more than 800 schools, prompting school officials to strengthen oversight measures.
Contaminated Cooking Oil Scandal
REPORTER:
An investigation into a major food safety scandal is intensifying in Taiwan. Authorities are rushing to address public concerns about how cooking oil containing dangerously high levels of a carcinogen remained on the market for months.
As everyone knows
cooking oil, water and eggs
may not seem very expensive
but problems with them can have far-reaching implications.
Almost all products use these ingredients
so when problems come up
it can become a matter of national security.
This is one of the responsibilities of the Office of Food Safety.
It should take a proactive role
in addressing this issue.
Experts and politicians are questioning how a batch of soybean oil from Central Union escaped detection, despite it containing four times the legal limit of a grade-1 carcinogen. The tainted oil has sparked a recall of over 400 products. It's suspected to have been used in lunches at over 800 schools, prompting concerns about students’ health and safety.
Food safety is essential
to students’ health and campus safety.
It’s a key priority in the ministry’s school lunch policy.
The ministry has been cooperating with health authorities
to respond to food safety incidents.
We also rely on regulations and contract management
information transparency and interagency cooperation
and a three-tier management system
to make sure that foods entering schools
comply with safety regulations
in order to safeguard students’ food safety.
Central Union has been fined 5 million US dollars and several executives have been questioned and released on bail.
Contaminated Cooking Oil Scandal
REPORTER:
The investigation into a major food safety scandal is escalating in Taiwan as officials scramble to address public concerns about how cooking oil containing excessive levels of a carcinogen went unchecked.
Everyone knows that oil, water and eggs
are inexpensive
but have far-reaching consequences.
Almost all products use these ingredients
so if a problem comes up
it becomes a national security concern.
The Office of Food Safety
should proactively address this issue.
Experts and politicians are questioning how the batch of soybean oil from Central Union, which contained four times the legal limit of a grade-1 carcinogen, was left on shelves for months. The tainted oil has sparked a recall of over 400 products. It's suspected to have been used in school lunches at over 800 schools, prompting concerns about students’ health and safety.
Food safety is student health and campus safety.
It’s a key aspect of our ministry’s school lunch policy.
We will cooperate with food safety and health authorities
to ensure food safety
through regulations and contract management
transparency and inter-department cooperation
in a three-tiered management system.
to make sure that school food meets safety regulations
and ensuring students’ dietary safety.
The supplier has been fined 5 million US dollars and several executives have been questioned and released on bail.
