Taipei Lists Schools, Businesses Using Carcinogenic Oil; Urges Central Action

Taipei City Government has publicly identified 42 schools and 14 downstream businesses that utilized cooking oil found to contain carcinogens. This disclosure comes as the city collaborates with Taichung to investigate the "Zhonglian Grease" soybean salad oil contamination case.

Taipei's Deputy Spokesperson, Wei Wen-hsuan, stated that the city has actively traced the affected businesses and schools. She emphasized the urgency for the central government's Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to swiftly clarify the situation and release a comprehensive list of all businesses and product batches that used the problematic oil.

The affected downstream businesses include 12 in retail and wholesale, and 2 in the hotel and restaurant sector. All have reportedly removed the contaminated oil from their inventory. The Taipei Department of Health also called for a thorough inspection of all upstream oil producers in Taiwan and the establishment of a more robust third-party verification, traceability, and early warning system for food safety.

Among the 42 affected schools, the list includes 3 kindergartens, 8 elementary schools, 24 junior high schools, and 7 senior high schools and vocational schools. The Department of Education has initiated emergency measures, ordering all schools and catering providers to cease using and seal the affected oil. The city government is working to reassure parents and build confidence in food safety standards.

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Taipei City, in coordination with Taichung City, has actively investigated and identified 14 downstream businesses and 42 schools that used the relevant problematic oil products. It is already the fifth day since the food safety incident broke out, and the FDA should immediately announce the distribution channels.