President Ma Ying-jeou is set to call a national security meeting on Monday night to tackle the latest food safety scandals to hit Taiwan.
The presidential office said Monday that the scandals over tainted edible oils have triggered public anxiety and damaged Taiwan’s image. The office said that President Ma has decided to conduct the meeting in person to strengthen government efficiency and coordinate resources in the crackdown on substandard edible oils.
Meanwhile, the government has decided to cut the tariffs on a number of imported products, including suet, lard, pig fat and poultry fat in half. That’s in order to ensure that there is enough supply to meet the demand for safe, good quality edible oils.
The government is also planning to strictly regulate edible oil, oil used in animal feed, and industrial oil. The economics ministry, agricultural council and health ministry will be responsible for monitoring imported oil products.