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🇹🇼 Taiwan /Crime & Justice

Carcinogen Found in Taiwanese Cooking Oil; Over 400 Products Recalled

From Liberty Times · () Chinese

Translated from Chinese, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Sources not specified Outcome reported
  • A Taiwanese soy salad oil product was found to contain a carcinogen, leading to over 400 products being recalled.
  • Authorities fined the manufacturer 6 million New Taiwan dollars for delayed reporting, while retailers reported varied customer responses.
  • Despite the recall, major retailers and Michelin-recommended restaurants noted no significant impact on overall cooking oil sales, with some seeing increased customer traffic.

A popular Taiwanese soy salad oil has been found to contain "benzene pyrene," a Class 1 carcinogen, prompting a recall of over 400 related products. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) confirmed the contamination, and the manufacturer, Chung-Chuan Oil, faces a hefty fine of NT$6 million from the Taichung City Food and Drug Administration for delayed reporting.

We are adhering to the principles of prompt, lenient, and simple returns to provide service.

— Wan Jia Fu spokespersonDescribing the store's return policy for the contaminated oil.

Retailers have reported mixed customer reactions. Wan Jia Fu, a hypermarket under the Uni-President Group, noted an increase in shoppers due to an approaching typhoon, alongside some customers returning products. The store is facilitating returns with a "fast, lenient, and simple" policy. In contrast, Da Jia Yi, another hypermarket chain, stated that overall cooking oil sales remain unaffected. Consumers are reportedly favoring alternatives like pure canola oil, olive oil, and brown rice oil. Da Jia Yi emphasized its commitment to product quality and food safety.

Overall cooking oil sales have not been affected.

— Da Jia Yi spokespersonAddressing the impact of the recall on consumer purchasing trends.

Michelin-recommended restaurants, such as those under the Shan Xin Group, have also reported stable booking and dining numbers. The group, which has received the Michelin Plate distinction for six consecutive years, stated that its restaurants, Shan Xin and Xin Yuan, have not seen a noticeable drop in reservations, with a notable increase in family bookings during the summer holidays. The group assured customers that their establishments did not use the contaminated oil or related raw materials, and they are enhancing supplier and batch management.

Reservations and dining at our restaurants remain stable, and we have not observed a significant impact on booking demand.

— Shan Xin Group spokespersonRegarding the effect of the oil contamination scandal on their Michelin-recommended establishments.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Liberty Times in Chinese. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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