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🇹🇼 Taiwan /Crime & Justice

Taiwan Sugar Corp caught in edible oil controversy, official criticizes 'misleading' claims

From Liberty Times · () Chinese

Translated from Chinese, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources Under investigation
  • Taiwan Sugar Corporation (TSC) is involved in a controversy regarding a batch of raw oil from Chung-Lien Oil that exceeded safety standards for benzopyrene.
  • TSC emphasized that the raw crude oil is a raw material and not subject to food safety regulations, differentiating it from finished edible oils.
  • Vice Minister of Health and Welfare Lin Ching-yi criticized the confusion between raw materials and finished products, suggesting it unfairly defends Chung-Lien Oil, which was previously fined for selling substandard edible oil.

Taiwan Sugar Corporation (TSC) has become embroiled in a controversy surrounding a batch of raw oil supplied by Chung-Lien Oil, which reportedly failed to meet contractual standards due to excessive benzopyrene levels.

TSC stated that it rejected the shipment in May because the raw crude oil did not comply with the agreed-upon contract specifications. The company maintains that as the material was raw crude oil, it is not subject to the same reporting requirements under the food safety law as finished edible oils. This distinction has become a focal point of the dispute, with TSC asserting its actions were to ensure the quality of its final products.

Relevant remarks are confusing "semi-finished raw materials" and "finished edible oils" and are "thinking too much to help the fined Chung-Lien stand up for injustice?"

— Lin Ching-yiVice Minister of Health and Welfare Lin Ching-yi criticized the public discourse surrounding Taiwan Sugar Corporation's involvement in the Chung-Lien Oil controversy.

Vice Minister of Health and Welfare Lin Ching-yi expressed frustration with the public discourse, suggesting that some comments are unfairly defending Chung-Lien Oil, which had previously been fined. Lin emphasized the critical difference between "semi-finished raw materials" and "finished edible oils," arguing that conflating the two misrepresents the situation. She pointed out that Chung-Lien Oil was penalized for concealing information about its refined edible oils failing to meet food safety standards, whereas TSC's action was a contractual rejection of a raw material that did not meet its self-imposed quality benchmarks.

Lin Ching-yi also questioned why local authorities in Taichung had not investigated Chung-Lien Oil's products more thoroughly, especially after the company allegedly continued to ship edible oil products even after being notified of non-compliance, only reporting the issue after repeated testing confirmed the violations. The controversy highlights ongoing concerns about food safety and regulatory oversight in Taiwan.

Why did Taichung not have a central FDA special case to investigate Chung-Lien's oil?

— Lin Ching-yiVice Minister of Health and Welfare Lin Ching-yi questioned the local authorities' oversight of Chung-Lien Oil.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Liberty Times in Chinese. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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