Restaurants that do deliveries and college campus eateries will soon have to clearly state the origin of the meat used in their products. That was the word on Monday in a report by education, health and agriculture officials at the legislature.
Taiwan is set to relax import restrictions on US pork containing ractopamine residue, and US beef sourced from cattle older than 30-months, starting next year. Ractopamine is a leanness-enhancing drug often added to pig feed in the US.
Taiwan education officials say that grade schools, cram schools, and kindergartens will only be allowed to serve domestic pork to students. Universities that have food courts or chain restaurants must also clearly label the source of their meat.
Meanwhile, a legislator from the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), Huang Kuo-shu, said that students often rely on delivery apps to order food. He said that restaurants will be required to state within the apps the source of the meat they use.
Vice Minister of Health and Welfare Hsueh Jui-yuan says that failure to label the place of origin on meat products will result in a fine of between NT$30,000 and NT$3,000,000 (about US$1,000-100,000). Wrongful labelling will result in a fine of between NT$40,000 and NT$4,000,000 (about US$1,400-140,000).