TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — DPP Hualien County Councilor Hu Jen-shun (胡仁順) on Thursday criticized the county government for what he described as excessive spending on bento meals during the Guangfu Township recovery effort.

Citing figures released by the county government, Hu questioned the reported NT$91 million (US$2.9 million) spent on meals for disaster-affected residents, volunteers, soldiers, and rescuers, per ETtoday. He argued that at NT$100 per meal, the county would have provided about 30,000 bentos per day through Oct. 20 — far more than the peak numbers previously reported.

The Hualien County Government clarified that the NT$91 million figure represented the value of an open contract, not the actual amount spent, which totaled NT$40 million, per UDN. Officials said the daily need was around 3,000 meals, though the number could surge into the tens of thousands depending on the influx of volunteers.

The county also addressed online claims that it had blocked volunteer groups from preparing food to benefit from catering contracts. The county said it had cooperated closely with volunteer organizations to provide meals and threatened legal action against those spreading false accusations.

Hu responded by accusing the county of providing “inaccurate statistics,” arguing that it should have explained the meaning of the figures when submitting them to the county council, per Newtalk.

Minister without Portfolio Chi Lien-cheng (季連成), who oversees disaster recovery operations in Guangfu Township, weighed in on the dispute, saying the effort required as many as 30,000 meals per day at its peak, per Tai Sounds. When asked whether NT$91 million was a reasonable amount, Chi referred reporters to the Hualien County Government and the Agriculture and Food Agency for clarification.

Chi added that price variations in bento procurement made it difficult for those not directly involved in purchasing to give an exact estimate.