Authorities caution consumers against lard oil

Some producers may have used tainted ingredient

The nation's quality watchdog has advised consumers to stay away from food products that are shipped into the mainland market from channels other than official imports as they may be contaminated with Taiwan's gutter oil.

Initial checkups have shown that the lard oil in Taiwan found to contain gutter oil is not on the list of imported items of the mainalnd, the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine said Saturday in a statement on its website.

But the administration published a list of 235 downstream food producers which might have used the tainted lard oil and advised consumers to be cautious if they buy products of these companies.

The tainted lard oil has met hygiene standards, the island's public health authority said Monday, but the products will still be banned from sale.

The scandal, which erupted a few days before the Mid-Autumn Festival falling on Monday, comes after the Taiwan authorities announced on Friday that at least 240 tons of gutter oil mixed into lard oil is now circulating on the market, and affected products range from dim sum to dried meat floss.

Kaohsiung-based Chang Guann Co, a producer of the tainted lard oil, is found to have supplied lard oil to importers in Hong Kong, which in turn have sold the products to some local bakeries and coffee shops, the South China Morning Post reported Monday.

Wei Chuan Foods Corporation in Taiwan has ordered a recall and refund for 12 types of possibly contaminated products including dried meat floss, meat sauce and meat crisp Thursday.

The Hangzhou branch of Wei Chuan Corp has denied any use of edible oil imported from Taiwan in a statement Sunday, the Beijing Times newspaper reported Monday.

Taiwan coffee shop chain 85C Bakery Cafe also posted a statement on its website on Friday claiming that none of its products in the mainland are made from either imports from Chang Guann Co, or from lard oil.

The scandal was uncovered on September 1 when police raided an unlicensed factory in south Taiwan's Pingtung county. As of Sunday, the number of potentially affected companies has exceeded 900, said Taiwan authorities.

While sources from both food safety watchdog and certain food producers have excluded the possibility that the gutter oil has found its way into the mainland market, consumers could still buy products made from the oil through online shopping platforms.

An industry insider told the Global Times that legal sales of food in the mainland require registration of the product with a relevant department and distributors need to obtain a permit from the local administration for industry and commerce.

In the Taiwan gutter oil case, while the food is not registered and therefore not classified as "imported food," many of the distributors conduct business on consumer-to-consumer online trading platform taobao.com.

"Some of them own a brick-and-mortar shop, and also have the permit. Others run their business purely via an electronic platform, and do not have the permit," the insider told the Global Times Monday on condition of anonymity, noting that purchases of products sold by illegal vendors won't be protected by the law.

Better regulation, starting from a more inclusive registration, is needed, the insider said.

A sales person at an online shop called Hong Chun Fa Foods, which specializes in "importing" a wide variety of food products from Taiwan, told the Global Times Monday on condition of anonymity that they are also a victim of the scandal.

"Now we are waiting for further development and if the brand recalls its products, consumers who bought the tainted products from our channel will be able to enjoy the recall policy," he said, confirming that his shop sells the Zhenwei meat sauce identified as an affected product in the ongoing probe.

"Such things have happened before, and customers got refunds from us. There is a precedent," he said.