Taiwan orders complete pullout of products linked to ‘gutter oil’ firm
Taiwan will begin removing all products linked to under-fire oil producer Chang Guann this Saturday over the “gutter oil” scandal, as authorities questioned a company executive over imports.
Taiwan will begin removing all products linked to under-fire oil producer Chang Guann this Saturday over the “gutter oil” scandal, as authorities further questioned a company executive over imports.
The Food and Drug Administration of Taiwan ordered all food and cooking oil linked to the Kaohsiung-based supplier to be pulled from the shelves, effective as of “zero hour” on Saturday.
Outlets found to continue selling affected products – which were produced using any of 24 kinds of Chang Guann cooking oil – would face up to NT$3 million (HK$774,200) in fines,” said Chiang Yu-mei, the food authority’s deputy director-general.
The authority drafted an initial list of 249 food items – including instant noodles, crackers, buns and dumplings – which should no longer be sold. Fourteen of those items were sold in 12 other countries and territories, including Brazil, France, Hong Kong, mainland China, Macau, New Zealand, Singapore and the United States.
A health official noted that, with the recall of Chang Guann-related products, there could be little left for local food outlets to sell.
The administration would soon announce the total number of food items affected, the official said.
WATCH: Bottoms up! Boss of 'gutter oil' firm drinks cup of cooking oil to prove it is safe
More than 1,000 companies are said to have been affected by the “gutter oil” scandal, including Starbucks, 7-Eleven and Maxim’s Group in Hong Kong.
Chiang said all health bureaus across Taiwan would send inspectors to check food outlets, including convenience stores and supermarkets, to make sure those products are banned.
Chang Guann was found to have imported industrial lard oil – which was not fit for human use – from a Hong Kong-based supplier, Globalway Corporation, since 2008. Chang Guann allegedly mixed this with “gutter oil”, a banned substance made from recycled kitchen waste.
The scandal came to light after police on September 1 uncovered an underground factory recycling kitchen waste in Pingtung, southern Taiwan. They arrested six people, including Chang Guann vice-president Tai Chi-chuan and Kuo Lieh-cheng, the factory’s owner.
Tai was questioned over his alleged collaboration with Kuo in buying the gutter oil and alleged collaboration with Globalway in importing the lard oil not for human use.
Prosecutors on Thursday further questioned Chang Guann executive Tai over his alleged collaboration with Kuo to import lard oil from Globalway. Tai was released on bail, but could not leave Taiwan.
The same day, Chang Guann president Yeh Wen-hsiang held a press conference where he drank a cup of gutter oil to prove it was safe. He apologised over the scandal, bowing deeply on all fours, but also asserted that the company was deceived by Globalway, which gave certificates showing the lard oil was safe for human consumption.
Factory owner Kuo is still detained.
Prosecutors also froze nine bank accounts linked to Chang Guann, containing deposits amounting to NT$79 million.
Taiwanese premier Jiang Yi-huah on Friday apologised to the public for a series of food safety scandals in the island in the past three years, including adulterated flour, cooking oil and recycled oil.
