Contaminated oil not found by self-inspection, legislator reveals

Taiwanese legislator Lin Shu-fen has exposed a critical flaw in the nation's food safety protocols, revealing that a batch of cooking oil found to contain excessive levels of the carcinogen benzo(a)pyrene was not identified by the manufacturer's own inspection. Zhonglian Oil's soybean salad oil was cleared in its initial self-test and shipped to customers. It was only when downstream company Nanqiao conducted a subsequent test that the contamination was discovered, prompting a recall.

Lin stated that without Nanqiao's secondary verification, the 1,300 metric tons of contaminated oil, enough to fill over 72,000 large containers or 650,000 small bottles, might have already entered the market. She expressed strong doubts about the reliability of the current self-inspection system, which appears to have failed in this instance. The oil was widely distributed to restaurants, eateries, and food processing businesses, raising significant public health concerns.

The detected benzo(a)pyrene concentration was 8.1 micrograms per kilogram, far exceeding the legal limit of 2 micrograms per kilogram. Furthermore, the total polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) reached 21.3, more than double the benchmark. Lin urged a complete overhaul of the edible oil management system, advocating for inspections based on batches or raw materials rather than the current semi-annual schedule. She also called for increased official market surveillance to supplement the industry's self-regulation.

Minister of Health and Welfare Hsueh Jui-yuan assured that the ministry would thoroughly investigate the incident and review the existing management framework. The goal is to identify and rectify any systemic weaknesses in source management and market monitoring to prevent future occurrences.