Path:Sino-US›› China News>> Buzzword››
台湾“馊水油”
Tái wān sōu shuǐyóu
Taiwan 'gutter oil'

Photo: Agencies

The head of a Taiwanese company at the centre of a widening food safety scandal has been detained for selling hundreds of tonnes of “gutter oil” that caused mass product recalls, authorities said Saturday.

Yeh Wen-hsiang, chairman of Chang Guann Co, was taken into custody early Saturday on suspicion of fraud, officials said, deeming him a flight risk and fearing he could collude with other suspects or destroy evidence.

Investigators found that in the six months from February, Chang Guann had purchased 243 tonnes of tainted oil – collected from cookers, fryers and grease traps – from an unlicensed factory and mixed it with lard oil for sales to its customers islandwide. A total of 782 tonnes of such oils had been produced.

Chang Guann was already fined 50 million Taiwanese dollars (US$1.67 million, MOP13.36 million) by the authorities for illegally selling poor-quality lard oil – a clear oil pressed from pig fat.

Hundreds of tonnes of mooncakes – traditionally served at this time of year – along with pineapple cakes, bread, instant noodles as well as steamed buns and dumplings have been removed from shelves in Taiwan since the case surfaced last week.

More than 1,000 restaurants, bakeries and food plants had used the tainted oil, according to the Food and Drug Administration. Many have apologised to customers for having unknowingly used tainted oil.


Related Stories
Share this page
Touched Sympathetic Bored Angry Amused Sad Happy No comment
About us

Rhythm Media Group is a multi-media company, operating a US-based Chinese daily newspaper, The China Press, and the paper's website - uschinapress.com (which has mobile-app version), as well as a Beijing-based English website Sino-US.com. The group boasts 15 branch offices across the US, and a number of cultural centers focusing on culture-related business in the North America, Chinese mainland, Hong Kong and Taiwan.

Launched in September 2012, the Sino-US.com is designed to serve as a bridge between China and the US, and to keep its readership inside or outside China better informed by providing news and insights on China's current affairs, culture, life, business, people and sports.

Our Partners

About us - Contact us - Copyright - Terms of use - Privacy policy

Copyright © 2012 www.sino-us.com All Rights Reserved

京公网安备11010802011260