Kaohsiung mayor demands accountability after tilapia test data tampering

Kaohsiung, Dec. 5 (CNA) Kaohsiung Mayor Chen Chi-mai (陳其邁) on Friday demanded accountability from the city's health authorities after a staff member's data tampering produced false-positive drug test results in tilapia fillets and prompted mass product recalls.

Speaking to reporters, Chen apologized to supermarket chain PX Mart and tilapia farmers for the serious oversight, saying it stemmed from a research assistant at the city's Department of Health failing to follow standard operating procedures.

"Such a mistake is completely unacceptable," he added.

Earlier this week, Kaohsiung's health department said it had issued a recall order on Nov. 27 for a product named "Taiwan tilapia fillets" with an expiration date of Sept. 16, 2027, after samples were found to contain enrofloxacin, a bactericide legally permitted in Taiwan for animal use but not approved for aquatic products.

PX Mart later reported that more than 13,000 packs of the frozen tilapia fillets had already been sold across Taiwan, though efforts to remove the remaining stock from shelves nationwide were ongoing.

• 4,080 contaminated fish fillets sold in Kaohsiung before recall

• Over 13,000 packs of fish fillets tainted with banned drug sold across Taiwan

According to the department, the 29-year-old research assistant -- identified by her last name Chen (陳) -- was responsible for conducting and interpreting the sample tests. For unknown reasons, she altered the instrument's settings during sampling, amplifying enrofloxacin values tenfold and producing exaggerated results, it said.

Pan Chao-ying (潘炤穎), the department's deputy director-general, said the testing process relies on fixed procedures, calculation formulas and reaction times, meaning a single incorrect setting can significantly affect the outcome. He added that the assistant resigned from the department on Nov. 4.

The Kaohsiung Police Department's Criminal Investigation Corps told CNA that the woman was questioned Thursday night and admitted to improperly handling test procedures, including adjusting the instrument's values. She was released early Friday morning. Prosecutors said they will continue gathering evidence to determine whether her actions were deliberate or due to negligence.

Separately on Friday, Kouhu Fisheries, a Yunlin County-based cooperative that supplied the product to PX Mart, said at a press conference that the recall of 120,000 packs has already caused losses exceeding NT$12 million.

Kouhu Fisheries said it will seek compensation only after the total losses are confirmed and, for now, will not pursue government compensation or legal action.

Wang Yi-feng (王益豐), the cooperative's general manager, said the incident sparked public panic and resulted in all of its tilapia products being pulled from shelves, inflicting serious reputational harm. He reiterated that the batch in question has since been retested by multiple agencies and found to contain no contaminants and to fully meet safety standards.