TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Taiwan's six special municipalities expressed support Tuesday for strengthening the Food Safety Act during a meeting convened by the Cabinet in response to the Central Union Oil contaminated cooking-oil scandal.
The meeting, chaired by Minister without Portfolio Chen Shih-chung (陳時中), brought together the municipalities to discuss proposed amendments addressing weaknesses in the country's food safety system. Speaking after the meeting, Chen said systemic problems with the current regulatory framework require legislative changes, per LTN.
Chen said the municipalities supported the direction of the proposed amendments and welcomed efforts to strengthen the food safety system. Discussions focused on source management, process oversight, and digital governance. Those in attendance included Kaohsiung Mayor Chen Chi-mai (陳其邁), Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安), and Taichung Mayor Lu Shiow-yen (盧秀燕). Deputy mayors represented New Taipei, Taoyuan, and Tainan.
Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) had called for the meeting to discuss risk assessment and subsequent handling measures. Local municipalities are asked to play a role in enforcement and cooperate with a central command mechanism, per a Cabinet press release.
Chen said Article 7 of the proposed amendments, which defines responsibilities for food safety monitoring programs, received the most discussion. Participants said concepts such as risk classification, risk assessment, and risk management require clearer definitions and more detailed regulations.
Kaohsiung Mayor Chen Chi-mai proposed classifying food businesses based on their potential food safety risk. He suggested higher-risk companies be subject to stricter self-monitoring requirements, per LTN.
Taichung Mayor Lu Shiow-yen welcomed the meeting but said the proposed amendments require broader consultation with government ministries and more review before implementation. She said the current draft was prepared too quickly and should be refined before being submitted to the legislature.
