Taiwan food vendors must certify they don't use banned chemical

Food vendors in Taiwan using processed starch must display safety certificates from today as part of efforts to contain a snowballing food scare that has damaged the image of one of the island's best-known delicacies.

The health ministry announced the new requirement after health inspectors discovered in mid-May that vendors were using an industrial chemical when processing powdered starch into various snacks and drinks consumed by almost everyone on the island.

The chemical, maleic anhydride, enhances the chewiness of food but can cause kidney failure if too much is consumed. It has allegedly been used illegally for at least a decade and maybe as long as 40 years.

Singapore and Malaysia quickly banned at least 11 such products from Taiwan, prompting President Ma Ying-jeou to call for an all-out effort to uphold food safety, protect consumers and punish those responsible.

In mid-2011, Taiwan had to destroy millions of bottles of soft drinks and packs of health food in the island's worst food scandal in 30 years. An industrial plasticiser that could cause developmental problems in children had been substituted for more expensive palm oil as a clouding agent, prompting the island and many countries to ban the products.

But two years later, local media noted, Taiwan does not appear to have learned the lesson. This time products affected include sticky meat balls, processed fish paste, yam-powdered balls, soya bean curd, flat rice noodles, sweet-potato-powder balls, sticky rice cakes and the chewy tapioca "pearls" used in the island's famous bubble tea.

Heath Minister Chiu Wen-ta said on Wednesday: "All raw material manufacturers for starch or midstream sellers are required to issue the safety certificates to downstream shops and vendors proving that the raw materials are free of maleic acid." Those who did not comply would face fines of up to NT$6 million (HK$1.55 million) for each breach.