Harmful substances found in Taiwanese cooking oil; no recall for products exported to Japan
It has been revealed that cooking oil manufactured by the major Taiwanese oil producer "Jung Li Oil" contained levels of the carcinogen "benzopyrene" that exceeded safety standards. Taiwanese authorities are strictly investigating the safety of products manufactured during the period when the issue was discovered.
The investigation covers all 30 lots of cooking oil produced between April and June of this year. It has been confirmed that one of these lots was exported to Japan. Taiwan's Ministry of Health and Welfare has shared information regarding this matter with the Japanese side.
Regarding this issue, Taiwanese authorities have indicated that they will not be recalling the products exported to Japan. The reason for this is that the products were judged not to be at a level that would cause immediate health damage according to Japanese food safety standards.
Interest in food safety management is growing in Taiwan, and authorities have stated that they will continue to strengthen monitoring of manufacturing processes. Consumers and related businesses in Japan need to pay attention to any further information from Taiwanese authorities.