KMT presidential candidate Eric Chu’s campaign office says it supports an appeal of the verdict in a food safety scandal. Campaign office spokesperson Wang Hong-wei made the announcement in a statement Saturday.
Wang said that tainted oil products made by the Ting Hsin Oil and Fat Industrial Co. have harmed the health of Taiwanese people and jeopardized the image of Taiwanese food products. She said that Chu found Friday's not guilty verdict deeply regretful.
The Taiwan Changhua District Court made its decision based on two factors. According to a professional appraisal, acid value is not the basis of safety standards for cooking oil. In addition, tests conducted on total polar compounds (TPC) in the tainted oil did not find substances deemed unsafe for human consumption as claimed by prosecutors.
Wang said that Friday’s verdict has highlighted the loopholes in Taiwan’s food safety laws, including in the areas of evidence and punishment. She also said it’s absolutely unacceptable that the defendants escaped the blame for mixing lard with oil intended for use as animal feed. Wang said that Eric Chu’s office will push for a revision to Taiwan’s food safety laws.