Taiwan indicts oil executives for concealing carcinogen contamination

Taiwan's Taichung District Prosecutors Office has indicted Chung-Lien Oil's general manager, Yu Ling-chong, and factory director, Chen Ming-jung, for allegedly violating food safety laws by concealing a carcinogen contamination.

According to the indictment, the executives were aware in May that the company's oil products exceeded the permissible levels of benzo[a]pyrene. Despite a warning from a company executive to immediately halt further processing, Yu and Chen allegedly decided to conceal the issue. During a quality assurance meeting on June 15, they reportedly downplayed the situation, claiming the contamination was only in a semi-finished product and not in the food itself. This attempt to mislead was questioned by a quality assurance representative from Fwusow Industry, who noted that downstream company Nan-Hwa had already detected benzo[a]pyrene in salad oil.

Prosecutors allege that on June 30, when forced to report the issue to authorities, Yu and Chen deliberately underreported the quantity of contaminated oil. The actual production volume from barrel No. 315 was 1,289,760 kilograms, but it was reported as 522,176 kilograms, a shortfall of 767,584 kilograms, or approximately 59.5% of the actual amount. This significant underreporting is accused of hindering the authorities' ability to accurately trace the food safety source and implement correct recall and removal procedures.

The indictment suggests that the executives were aware of the risks but chose to continue operations to reduce costs and ensure material intake, disregarding the health of the public. The article highlights the executives' alleged repeated acts of concealment and deception in this food safety scandal.