Teachers' Union Demands Transparency on Carcinogenic Oil Affecting Schools, Calls for Lunch Policy Review

Taiwan's Teachers and Students Union (全教產) is demanding that authorities publicly disclose the names of schools impacted by a carcinogenic oil scandal. The union also called for a thorough review of the free school lunch program, advocating for increased budgets for both ingredients and quality control measures to prevent future food safety issues.

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Central and local governments should proactively release detailed information, including the list of affected schools, the period of use, the catering companies involved, the specific oil brands and batch numbers, the dishes or processed foods implicated, and records of recalls and parent notifications. They argue that simply releasing statistical figures is insufficient.

The union stated that central and local governments should proactively release detailed information, including the list of affected schools, the period of use, the catering companies involved, the specific oil brands and batch numbers, the dishes or processed foods implicated, and records of recalls and parent notifications. They argue that simply releasing statistical figures is insufficient.

Furthermore, the union expressed concern that the widespread implementation of free school lunch policies in recent years might be pressuring schools and catering companies to compromise on quality due to limited budgets. They criticized the government for claiming to prioritize school food safety while simultaneously allocating insufficient funds that lead to a focus on low-cost supplies.

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Free does not mean low quality, nor should schools and catering companies be restricted in their ingredient choices due to limited budgets. The government cannot claim to prioritize school food safety while simultaneously allocating insufficient funds that lead to a focus on low-cost supplies.

The union is urging the immediate establishment of a "School Lunch Ingredient Transparency Query Mechanism." This system would allow teachers and parents to access real-time information on the source, brand, batch number, supplier, and inspection reports for ingredients used by catering companies, with a particular focus on high-risk items like oils, sauces, semi-finished products, and frozen foods.

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Food safety responsibility should be borne by central and local health authorities, food businesses, and the supply chain, rather than demanding schools 'self-inventory,' 'self-recall,' and 'self-explain' after an incident.

The union also pointed to significant shortcomings in the Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) oversight, including source testing, process control, anomaly reporting, traceability, and downstream disclosure. They believe that problematic oils could have been intercepted earlier in the supply chain, preventing their entry into school lunch systems. The union insists that food safety is a shared responsibility and cannot be solely placed on schools after an incident occurs. They are calling for comprehensive information disclosure, strict source management, adequate funding, a transparent ingredient platform, and clear accountability to safeguard school food safety.

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Food safety is not something that can be assured by 'asking parents to rest assured' or by schools conducting post-incident checks. The government must ensure school food safety through complete information disclosure, strict source management, sufficient lunch funding, a transparent ingredient platform, and concrete accountability.