Taiwan FDA, Taichung Clash Over Food Safety Meeting Records

Taiwan's Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Taichung City government are locked in a public dispute over the handling of a food safety incident involving Zhonglian, a company implicated in a carcinogenic oil scandal. The conflict escalated after the FDA released a complete record of its July 4 expert meeting, asserting that the decision was made to prevent Zhonglian from resuming operations.

FDA Minister Shi Chong-liang stated that the July 4 meeting's record clearly indicated the resolution to halt Zhonglian's operations. He also urged the Taichung City government to fully disclose the minutes from their July 3 meeting. In response, Taichung City government's Deputy Secretary-General Lin Gu-lung accused Minister Shi of forgetfulness, claiming that the July 3 meeting records had already been publicly available on the city government's website.

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Minister Shi, you are forgetful!

However, a review of the Taichung City government's published record revealed it to be a mere page and a half, with significant omissions, including all speeches and reports. This limited disclosure drew further criticism. The FDA emphasized that the core issue of the July 4 meeting was not whether Zhonglian representatives were present or when they left, but that the company was questioned and explicitly told not to resume operations. The 20% threshold for product recall was a scientific decision, while a blanket recall regardless of contamination level was a political one, for which Shi took political responsibility.

Lin Gu-lung questioned the transparency of the central government's decision-making process, particularly regarding the recall standards, and whether it was based on science or politics. He also raised doubts about Zhonglian's full participation in the central government's meeting. The Taichung City government had previously fined Zhonglian NT$3 million and initiated its own investigation into the company's oil products.

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The 20% recall standard was a decision made after expert meetings and scientific discussion; a comprehensive requirement to recall products regardless of detection concentration is a political decision, for which I take political responsibility.