Executives Named Defendants as Carcinogenic Oil Sparks Taiwan Food Safety Crisis

Taiwan's food safety landscape is shaken by a crisis involving carcinogenic oil, with the general manager and deputy section chief of oil producer Zhonglian now named as defendants. The company's 1,300 metric tons of soybean salad oil were found to contain excessive levels of benzo(a)pyrene (BaP), a Group 1 carcinogen, triggering a widespread safety alert.

The Taichung District Prosecutors Office has established a special task force to investigate the origins and distribution of the contaminated oil. The two Zhonglian executives were questioned and subsequently released. Additionally, a factory director from Nanqiao Company appeared as a witness to assist in clarifying the case details.

Prosecutors initiated a proactive investigation on July 2 upon learning of the contamination, launching a "Civilian Livelihood Crime Investigation Platform." Subsequent actions included data retrieval from Zhonglian, analysis of oil flow, inspection data, and transaction records over the weekend. A specialized meeting on July 6 integrated efforts from the Taichung City Department of Health, the Food and Drug Administration, and the Taichung City Investigation Bureau to strategize the investigation.

Investigators are focusing on three key areas: whether the contamination originated from raw materials or the manufacturing process, if the company was aware of the oil's abnormality and failed to act promptly, and potential criminal liability under the Food Safety and Sanitation Act. The investigation will continue to trace the pollution source upstream and the flow of affected oil downstream to determine accountability.