Government further expands recall of foods linked to tainted oil

Taipei, July 9 (CNA) All edible oil products manufactured by Central Union Oil Co. between April and June, along with first and second-tier food products made using those oils, must be removed from shelves by noon Friday, Health Minister Shih Chung-liang (石崇良) said Thursday.

The announcement was made as a precaution after excessive levels of the carcinogen benzo[a]pyrene were found in the company's products.

Speaking after a weekly Cabinet meeting, Shih said authorities had identified non-compliant oil products manufactured by Central Union in both April and May, prompting the government to order a full recall of both affected batches.

The precautionary recall has also been expanded to cover all edible oil products manufactured by Central Union between April and June, as well as first and second-tier food products made with those oils. The affected products may not be returned to the market until testing confirms they are safe, he said.

"There is no room for compromise when it comes to food safety," Shih said.

The case came to light after excessive levels of benzo[a]pyrene were detected in Central Union's soybean oil. About 1,300 metric tons of the oil had been supplied to major food manufacturers, including Taisun Enterprise Co., Fwusow Industry Co. and Formosa Oilseed Processing Co.

The Ministry of Health and Welfare initially ordered the recall of directly affected products on July 1. It expanded the order on July 4 to include edible oils and processed foods containing more than 20 percent of the affected oil, before extending it on July 7 to processed foods containing smaller amounts.

Shih said the irregularity was first detected by Namchow Group on May 13. Namchow notified Central Union of the issue on June 10, but Central Union did not notify authorities until June 30, he said.

Following the report, all products supplied directly by Central Union to Taisun, Fwusow and Formosa Oilseed Processing were removed from shelves by July 3. On July 8, another 401 products manufactured by 360 downstream companies were also recalled, he said.

Meanwhile, prosecutors are continuing to investigate Central Union's internal reporting procedures and quality control practices, while regulators have imposed administrative penalties for violations of food safety reporting requirements, Shih said.

He added that Taisun reported another problematic batch on the evening of July 7, which was traced to oil manufactured by Central Union in May. The findings showed that products manufactured in both April and May failed to comply with food safety standards and that the company's internal test results were inconsistent with tests conducted by downstream manufacturers.