Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) presidential candidate Tsai Ing-wen has promised to ensure food safety, if she is elected. She made the pledge on Monday during a campaign stop in Chiayi County, southern Taiwan.
Tsai’s food safety policies include stringent inspection standards, certificates of origin, a whistle-blowing scheme, as well as stiffer punishment for violators.
During her stop in Chiayi, she hailed the county as an “agricultural powerhouse”. She said that County Commissioner Helen Chang has made strides in overseeing agricultural production and has pushed for a labeling system for the well-known local Oolong tea grown on Mount Ali.
Tsai urged voters in the county to support the DPP in its determination to ensure food safety.
“The county commissioner once said ‘there is no food safety if the people who grow the foods have no conscience’", said Tsai.
"We will give our full support to Chiayi and to county chiefs and mayors in their efforts to ensure food safety," she said. "We hope that Chiayi can become a bellwether [county] for Taiwan, particularly in the area of food safety.”
On Monday afternoon, Tsai went on to the south-central county of Yunlin, where she was joined by two local DPP legislative candidates in a parade through the streets. Inclement weather and the fact that many people were at work, had an impact on the number of people who came out to see the motorcade pass through. However, when the candidates reached a central marketplace in Yunlin, there were people standing along the streets, holding up flags, and also pineapples and cabbages, which are lucky symbols.
Later in the day, Tsai made an appearance at the inauguration of the campaign headquarters for a DPP legislative candidate in Yunlin. She spoke about her three concerns; she urged voters to “help consolidate the vote”, “return home to cast their ballot”, and “reject vote-buying.”