Former national policy adviser Rex How (郝明義) yesterday urged Taiwanese to boycott media subsidiaries of Ting Hsin International Group, including recently established 4G mobile provider Taiwan Star Telecom and possible acquisition cable TV operator China Network Systems (CNS), over the embattled conglomerate’s involvement in a series of food safety scandals.
The group, best-known for its Master Kong instant noodle brand, has been the target of public outrage since another of its subsidiaries, Cheng I Food Co, was exposed last week as having sold lard mixed with oil meant only for animal feed.
“People are calling for a boycott of Ting Hsin International’s [food] products with the aim of driving the group out of business, but Ting Hsin International earns 90 percent of its revenue from China and a mere 10 percent from Taiwan,” How wrote on Facebook yesterday, stressing that it would extremely difficult for a food-only boycott to succeed.
Citing an editorial on news Web site Storm Media, How said that Ting Hsin International has pending plans to acquire CNS, the largest cable television provider in the nation.
If the food conglomerate gains control of cable network distribution, the media might shy away from reporting on future food safety scandals, the editorial said.
The public must take action to prevent Ting Hsin International from making further gains in the media industry, as the company clearly does not hold itself accountable to the Taiwanese public, said How, a veteran of the publishing industry who resigned as President Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) adviser last year to express his discontent toward the administration’s promotion of the cross-strait service trade pact.
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