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FOOD SCANDAL: Ex-chairman sat in food safety meetings
By Alison Hsiao / Staff reporter
Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Liu Chien-kuo displays a sign featuring the face of former Ting Hsin Oil and Fat Industrial Co chairman Wei Ying-chun during a question-and-answer session at the Legislative Yuan in Taipei yesterday.
Photo: Wang Yi-sung, Taipei Times
Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Liu Chien-kuo (劉建國) said yesterday that Wei Ying-chun (魏應充), who previously led Ting Hsin Oil and Fat Industrial Co (頂新製油實業) and other subsidiaries that have prompted a nationwide boycott of the group’s products over what people see as the group’s constant disrespect of food safety standards, participated in biannual meetings on food and medication safety held by the Executive Yuan.
Liu harshly criticized Premier Jiang Yi-huah (江宜樺) during yesterday’s legislative question-and-answer session for the government’s handling of the food scandal and called Jiang “the person most in need of detention.”
Responding to Liu’s concerns about the government’s resolve and action on “defusing the [food safety crisis] bomb,” Jiang said that so far, there are 13 prosecutors’ offices investigating the case, which is of an unprecedented scale, but the speed of the investigation is not something he could change.
Jiang said that in addition to prosecutors, the Ministry of Health and Welfare has been working closely with local governments, and agencies such as the Environmental Protection Administration, the Council of Agriculture and the Ministry of Finance have all contributed to the inquiry.
However, Jiang said he was not aware that Wei participated in the Executive Yuan’s food and medication safety meeting when Liu criticized what he described as Jiang’s lack of vigilance during terms as premier and vice premier, when several such meetings have been called.
Liu said Wei had sent his counsel or secretary to attend the meetings during his term as a member and asked Jiang whether this kind of meeting was to achieve anything.
“[I doubt] a food safety meeting with ‘black-hearted’ food manufacturers could be effective, even if it had been held nine or 10 times,” he added.
The Executive Yuan later responded with a statement saying that Wei’s two-year participation ended in August last year, adding that he was appointed by then-premier Wu Den-yih (吳敦義).
Wei was recommended by the then-Department of Health to attend the meeting in his capacity as the president of the Taiwan Food GMP Development Association, according to the Executive Yuan. “Wei attended only one of the four meetings held during his term and had presented his opinions on the use and management of PVC food containers,” it said.
source: Taipei Times
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