TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Taiwan's High Prosecutors Office announced Monday that it has launched a cross-agency market crime investigation platform following the discovery of excessive levels of benzo(a)pyrene (BaP), a carcinogenic compound, in soybean salad oil.
Central Union Oil, a joint venture established by Taisun Enterprise (泰山), Fwusow industry (福壽), and Formosa Oilseed Processing Co. (福懋), sold soybean oil containing roughly four times the legal limit of BaP, per Knews. The Food and Drug Administration ordered the affected products recalled and suspended the company's production.
The High Prosecutors Office said it will continue overseeing the criminal investigation into Central Union Oil while coordinating communication among relevant agencies, per CNA. It added that authorities responsible for food safety will investigate the cause of the contamination and assess any public health risks.
Namchow Oil and Fat Co., which purchases soybean oil from Central Union Oil for further processing, said it notified the company in May after detecting unusually high BaP levels. The company said the findings were confirmed by an independent laboratory after its own testing in late April identified irregularities.
The Taichung City Government Health Bureau said Namchow formally notified Central Union Oil on June 11, per UDN. The bureau said Central Union Oil conducted two additional tests on June 25 and June 30 before reporting the findings to authorities, suggesting there is currently no evidence the company intentionally concealed the information.
Taichung Health Bureau Director Tseng Tzu-chan (曾梓展) said Sunday that preliminary findings indicate the contamination may have been caused by the higher moisture content of Brazilian soybeans or contamination during the roasting process, per SETN. He added that the bureau will continue working with central government agencies to determine whether Central Union Oil delayed reporting the irregularities.
Responding to the investigation, Central Union Oil Junior Manager Chiang (蔣) said the company would fully cooperate with authorities, per CNA. Addressing reports of trucks entering and leaving the facility, he said they were transporting soybean meal, a byproduct of the extraction process used in fertilizer and animal feed production.
Central Union Oil has submitted a proposal to the FDA seeking permission to resume operations. However, FDA Director-General Chiang Chih-kang (姜至剛) said the agency rejected the application because it failed to identify the source of the contamination or provide adequate risk management measures, per UDN.
President Lai Ching-te (賴清德) also weighed in, issuing four directives, per China Times. Lai called on Central Union Oil to suspend production, ordered recalls of related soybean oil products sold under the Taisun, Fwusow, FOPC brands, demanded recalls of downstream products made with the contaminated oil, and instructed authorities to investigate those responsible.
The FDA initially declined to identify buyers of the contaminated soybean oil supplied by Taisun, Fwusow, FOPC, per Storm Media. Chiang Chih-kang said those buyers were also victims.
The decision drew criticism from opposition politicians. Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) urged the central government to disclose the buyers, arguing that withholding the information would undermine consumer confidence and further hurt the food and restaurant industries, per Storm Media.
The FDA later released a list of 257 businesses and individuals that purchased the contaminated soybean oil supplied by Taisun, Fwusow, FOPC, per UP Media.
