Delayed Reporting of Carcinogenic Oil Leads to Heavy Fines for Three Companies

Taichung city authorities have imposed a hefty NT$3 million fine on three Taiwanese oil manufacturers – Chung Lien, Fu Shou, and Fu Mao – for their delayed reporting of carcinogenic substances found in their soybean salad oil. The companies were aware of the elevated levels of Benzopyrene (BAP) by mid-June but failed to notify regulatory bodies or implement precautionary recalls, leading to the significant penalty under the Food Safety Act.

Investigations revealed that Chung Lien's downstream partner, Nanqiao Oils, detected abnormalities in oil produced on April 4th. Fu Shou was notified on June 10th and subsequently informed Chung Lien on June 11th. Chung Lien conducted re-tests on stored oil samples on June 16th and 25th, with results on June 29th confirming BAP levels at 8.1 micrograms per kilogram, more than four times the legal limit. Despite this confirmation, Chung Lien only reported the issue to authorities on June 30th, a delay of 19 days from the initial notification by Nanqiao Oils.

Furthermore, Chung Lien, Fu Shou, and Fu Mao held a joint meeting on June 25th regarding the BAP contamination. During this meeting, it was acknowledged that all three companies were aware of the issue but had not reported it or initiated preventive recalls. The contaminated oil, amounting to about 1,300 metric tons, was distributed to 360 businesses. Taishan, another recipient company registered in Changhua County, will have its case adjudicated by the relevant county government.