TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — A food safety scandal involving Central Union Oil (中央油) continued to expand Sunday as the health ministry refused to release third-party laboratory test results for 29 batches of cooking oil over concerns that the company may have submitted fraudulent samples, per UDN.
Health Minister Shih Chung-liang (石崇良) said discrepancies between test results provided by Central Union and those from downstream blended oil companies, including Taisun Enterprise (泰山) and Namchow Oil (南僑), raised concerns about possible sample manipulation. The case has been transferred to prosecutors for investigation.
The Food and Drug Administration received a report on Tuesday that Taisun’s blended oil products contained excessive levels of benzopyrene (BaP), a carcinogen often associated with substances that are not burned completely, such as car exhaust, smoke from fires, tobacco, and oil and gas products.
However, test results from Central Union’s raw material samples showed normal levels, creating a discrepancy that prompted the FDA to announce Thursday that all oils and related products supplied by Central Union between April and June would be removed from shelves as a precautionary measure, per FDA press release.
Shih said the incident exposed multiple loopholes in Taiwan’s current Food Safety Act and pledged to introduce amendments, with improving source control becoming the government’s top priority. Currently, edible oil manufacturers are not required to conduct batch-by-batch testing of imported raw materials and crude oils, while some companies do not retain samples for future verification.
Under proposed reforms, companies handling high-risk food products will be required to preserve samples of raw oils and semi-finished products and may be required to conduct product-by-product testing. Any changes to raw materials or production processes, such as switching soybean sources from the US to Brazil, would require renewed testing before production resumes, per UDN.
Shih said companies with capital exceeding NT$100 million (US$3.11 million) will be required to establish certified in-house laboratories or use third-party laboratories approved by health authorities. External audits will be expanded beyond production processes to strengthen enforcement mechanisms, while market inspections will extend upstream to include manufacturing facilities, per Food Safety Act.
Companies found to have intentionally concealed violations or deceived regulators will face heavier penalties, while those that voluntarily report issues quickly may receive reduced penalties. Food information and labeling requirements will also be expanded to cover finished products, including items like salad dressings and rice balls, to improve traceability.
The contaminated oil case has also highlighted the complicated ownership structures and financial relationships among major cooking oil producers, including Central Union, Fwusow Industry (福壽), Formosa Oilseed (福懋), and Taisun Enterprise.
Shih said the government will discuss measures with the Financial Supervisory Commission to require food companies of a certain size or those operating in oligopolistic and high-risk sectors to appoint professional independent directors to their boards. These independent directors would be required to have expertise in fields including food science, pharmaceuticals, or public health to strengthen corporate governance and ensure greater transparency.
The Cabinet’s Consumer Protection Committee said that as of 5 p.m. Thursday, it had received 20 consumer complaints related to the scandal. The committee said it would assist consumers in pursuing class-action lawsuits and had consulted two consumer protection groups. Both consumer groups have initially expressed willingness to take on related cases, the committee said.
