The Council of Agriculture (COA) yesterday announced the results of its probe into products produced by animal feed manufacturer Ching Wei Co (進威), which allegedly purchased lard from the same unlicensed factory owned by Kuo Lieh-cheng (郭烈成) as that bought by Greater Kaohsiung-based food oil manufacturer Chang Guann Co.
The results revealed that all 14 animal feed oil products tested contained polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), a known carcinogen, and seven showed acid values higher than legal standards.
The council launched an investigation on Friday last week, which sampled eight animal oil products from Ching Wei’s eight oil tanks, including animal fat, imported butter, fish and palm oil, as well as six types of stock oils from the animal feed manufacturer’s downstream companies, used in the manufacturing of five kinds of animal feed.
The results showed that all 14 samples conformed to Chinese National Standards (CNS). However, three of the 13 samples tested for heavy metals contained lead exceeding the Sanitation Standard for Edible Oils and Fats stipulated by the Ministry of Health and Welfare.
Although none of the five feed products manufactured by Ching Wei’s downstream companies exceeded the maximum levels of lead, arsenic or mercury in EU regulations, and all 14 oil products contained aflatoxin levels lower than that legally permitted, all 14 samples were positive for polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), a UN-listed carcinogen and a non-biodegradable persistent organic pollutant on the Environmental Protection Agency’s list of type A toxic substances.
With regards to the seven oil products containing acid levels higher than the national standard for humans, the council said that although feed oils are not governedby the standard, it has scheduled a meeting with feed nutritionists next Monday to discuss the issue of whether to use the standard for acid values of edible oils and fats on feed oils.
Animal Husbandry Department Deputy Director Chu Ching-cheng (朱慶誠) said the fact that all 14 products tested positive on PAHs showed that there is still much room for improvement for the department, as the substance should not appear in oil for either human or animal consumption, and the council would consult specialists on why the carcinogen exists in the oil samples he said.
He said that every country has its own methods of inspection when it comes to detrimental substances in food and feed oils, meaning it is “virtually impossible” to list all harmful substances in the oil inspections it carries out. Therefore, the council is working toward blocking out all substances that should not be in feed oil products, such as PAHs, regardless of standard values.
In the future, oil products found containing irrelevant detrimental substances are to be discarded immediately, and a fine is to be imposed on companies found selling feed oils tainted with these substances, he said.
Meanwhile, the Pingtung County Government yesterday said that Ching Wei had imported over 1,200 tonnes of tallow for animal feed use from Australia in April and products from Ching Wei may have been bought by Cheng I Food Co under the Ting Hsin International Group.
The county government said it has already forwarded all the relevant information to prosecutors and the ministry for further examination.
Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Yuan Yi-kang (段宜康) questioned why the Cheng I would import 600 tonnes of tallow for animal feed when it only produced edible food oil.
Additional reporting by staff writer
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