Premier Su Tseng-chang says the government is pleased that food importers are giving consumers a choice when it comes to the additive ractopamine.
Ractopamine is a leanness enhancing additive present in some US pork. The government has announced that it will allow US pork containing the additive into the country starting January 1. The move lifts a stumbling block in Taiwan-US trade relations, but it has proven controversial.
The additive remains banned in a number of countries, and there are concerns in Taiwan about whether it is safe for human consumption. KMT lawmakers have been especially vocal in their opposition to the move, going so far as to throw pig innards at the premier on the Legislature floor.
However, it seems that little pork containing the additive will actually make it to Taiwan. On Thursday, a group of food importers that together account for more than 80% of Taiwan’s pork imports publicly pledged not to buy US pork containing ractopamine. They also said they will have the exporters they buy from certify that their pork ractopamine-free and add ractopamine-free labels to packaging.
On Friday, Premier Su Tseng-chang said that the government is happy to see the private sector moving to give consumers room to make their own decisions.
He also said that despite the no ractopamine pledge, the government will still be going ahead with its five-point program for managing pork imports. The program includes inspections of US pork processing facilities, more stringent inspections of pork products, and strict labeling regulations.