Contaminated oil not found by self-inspection, legislator reveals

A Taiwanese legislator has raised serious concerns about the effectiveness of the country's food safety self-inspection system following the discovery of carcinogenic benzo(a)pyrene in cooking oil produced by Zhonglian Oil. Legislator Lin Shu-fen stated that the contaminated oil was not detected during the manufacturer's initial self-inspection, which had declared the product compliant. The issue only came to light when downstream company Nanqiao performed a secondary test after receiving the shipment.

Lin Shu-fen revealed that Zhonglian Oil had already shipped the 1,300 metric tons of soybean salad oil before the contamination was discovered. She questioned whether the batch would have been recalled if Nanqiao had not conducted its own verification. This incident, she argued, demonstrates a failure in the industry's self-regulation and casts doubt on the credibility of such inspection mechanisms. The affected oil could have reached consumers through restaurants, small eateries, night markets, and food processing industries.

The detected level of benzo(a)pyrene was 8.1 micrograms per kilogram, more than four times the legal limit of 2 micrograms per kilogram. Additionally, the total polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) measured 21.3, significantly exceeding the benchmark value of 10. Lin urged the government to comprehensively review the edible oil management system. She proposed shifting from semi-annual inspections to batch-specific or raw-material-based testing, requiring results before shipment, and increasing official market surveillance to strengthen oversight beyond self-reporting.

Minister of Health and Welfare Hsueh Jui-yuan acknowledged the incident and stated that the ministry will investigate the cause and thoroughly review the current management system. The aim is to identify loopholes and enhance source management, post-market monitoring, and sampling mechanisms to prevent similar occurrences.