The Changhua County Prosecutors’ Office says that it intends to appeal a controversial ruling in a tainted oil case, which was handed down on Friday. The case involves the Ting Hsin Oil and Fat Industrial Company, which was found to have sold lard mixed with oil intended for use as animal feed.
The use of animal-grade feed in products meant for human consumption shook public confidence in food safety in Taiwan.
The court in central Taiwan on Friday acquitted former chairman Wei Ying-chun and several other company executives implicated in the scandal. It said that prosecutors had failed to prove that the company had sourced fat from unhealthy animals or used unsanitary processes in creating its products.
In a statement released on Sunday, the prosecutors’ office said that the Act Governing Food Safety and Sanitation covered not only food products but also their ingredients. The point of food inspections, it said, was to prevent waste products from being used in foods altogether.
It said that by allowing companies to process waste products, animal excretions, feed, and fertilizer to the point where they can pass inspections and be used in food, would be missing the whole point of the law.