1,300 tonnes of tainted cooking oil products recalled: Official

Taipei, July 2 (CNA) Around 1,300 tonnes of cooking oil products have been recalled after they were found to contain excessive levels of benzopyrene, a carcinogenic compound, a Taiwan Food and Drug Administration (TFDA) official said Thursday.

The affected soy-based cooking oil was produced by Taichung-based Central Union Oil Corp. and supplied to three major Taiwanese food oil companies, Taisun, Fwusow Industry, and Fopco, TFDA Deputy Director-General Tsai Shu-chen (蔡淑貞) told a weekly Cabinet news conference.

The oil was later sold in 3-liter and 18-liter bottles, Tsai said.

• Soybean oil products recalled over excessive carcinogenic residues

The TFDA said Wednesday that Central Union had informed the agency Tuesday night that a self-administered inspection found benzopyrene levels in 1,300 tonnes of soy-based oil had reached 8.1 micrograms per kilogram, above the legal limit of 2 micrograms per kilogram.

TFDA official Hsu Chao-kai (許朝凱) told reporters Wednesday that all of the affected oil had been sold to the three companies between April 8 and April 10.

The three companies immediately recalled the products after being notified by Central Union of the anomaly, Hsu said.

Tsai said that under the Act Governing Food Safety and Sanitation, food oil companies are required to conduct routine self-inspections, while the TFDA also commissions third-party institutions to test food oil products.

From 2022 to 2025, 372 products sold by 240 companies were inspected, including 268 products tested for benzopyrene, and no irregularities were found, Tsai said.

The TFDA and the Taichung City government inspected Central Union's premises Wednesday and ordered the company to suspend production while it reviews its manufacturing processes to determine the cause of the anomaly, Tsai said.

Benzopyrene is classified as a Group 1 carcinogen by the International Agency for Research on Cancer.