The latest chapter in the ongoing tainted oil scandal saw Taiwan Sugar Corporation (TSC) facing questions for flagging contaminants in Central Union Oil Corporation's crude product early, but not reporting the irregularities to the central government. On Monday, August 10, Economic Minister Kung Ming-hsin (龔明鑫) reiterated that TSC refused to buy the tainted crude oil after discovering the issue, and isn’t required to disclose issues with raw ingredients. He said all oil entering TSC is up to standard, and to ensure food safety, the company will now import soybeans from abroad for refining.

In early July, Taiwan issued an emergency recall of soybean oil supplied by Central Union Oil Corporation after it was found to have an unusually high amount of the carcinogen benzopyrene, or BaP. However, the discussion was reignited after a report that TSC rejected a batch of crude oils in early May, but never reported the issue to the central government. While the central government has defended TSC’s decision, claiming it was acting within the law, media and legislators maintain that, by not reporting the issue, the state-owned enterprise acted irresponsibly and set a poor example.

Speaking at a special legislative meeting on TSC’s management and risk control, Minister Kung again reiterated that the tainted oil was never shipped to TSC. Further, since TSC never owned the oil, it was never legally obligated to report the issue as per the Food Safety and Sanitation Act. 

The minister insisted that TSC has a set of rigorous standards, including a combined 32 inspections carried out in-house and by central and local governments. The company already took action by removing products from shelves, and will only restock after it can confirm product safety.
Furthermore, Kung stated that, to ensure future food safety, TSC will no longer purchase domestic crude oil but import soybeans to refine into oil.

Regarding the Cabinet's proposed amendments to the food safety act and whether raw or semi-processed products would be included in the standards and regulations, FDA officials said the matter is up for discussion. However, they insisted the focus should still be on the safety of finished products.