TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) said the Cabinet will pass amendments to Taiwan’s Food Safety Act on Thursday, requiring upstream manufacturers to conduct self-inspections batch-by-batch rather than every six months, with increased penalties for companies that deliberately violate food safety regulations, per LTN.
The proposed amendments were prompted by the Central Union Oil (中聯油) cooking oil scandal, in which products were found to contain benzopyrene, a carcinogenic substance, at four times the legal limit. Under the revised law, downstream manufacturers would need to perform inspections every quarter.
The amendments will also establish clearer reporting deadlines, impose penalties for late reporting, and increase punishment for malicious concealment or deception. Cho said the amendments will focus on five major improvements: strengthening source management, process management, anomaly reporting, quality control systems, and digital governance.
He said the Ministry of Health and Welfare has been directed to submit a report on enforcement measures and related improvements to the Cabinet on Monday, per a Cabinet press release.
Cho attended the opening ceremony of the Healthy Taiwan Deep Cultivation Forum at Shin Kong Hospital on Saturday, noting that government officials are working hard to "make the people healthier, the nation stronger," and providing greater protection for the health of the people, per a Cabinet press release.
He said food companies above a certain size will be required to establish laboratories, which must receive third-party certification and assume responsibility for timely reporting. During a special meeting reviewing the Central Union Oil case, Cho said two major areas requiring improvement were source management and production process controls.
The health ministry said companies seeking to change raw material suppliers or production processes will be required to conduct trial production runs and sampling inspections. Production can only resume after safety has been confirmed. In addition, both company-operated laboratories and third-party laboratories will need certification from competent authorities or authorized organizations, per LTN.
The revised regulations will also introduce mandatory reporting and real-time information uploads, with clearly defined reporting deadlines. Companies that delay reporting or intentionally conceal violations will face harsher penalties, while those that voluntarily report problems will receive reduced penalties.
