An apparent food poisoning outbreak at a restaurant in Taipei that resulted in two sudden deaths and five people having to be treated in intensive care units has made headlines over the past few days. Investigations and testing confirmed it to be the first instance of bongkrek acid poisoning in Taiwan.
Bongkrek acid is a rare toxin produced by contamination with a bacterium, especially in fermented coconut or corn food products, and a mere milligram of the colorless and tasteless substance is deadly.
While specialists and officials are trying to identify the source of the deadly toxin, and prosecutors and police are collecting information and questioning restaurant personnel, it is a shame that some politicians and critics are quick to point fingers.
As of yesterday, 25 customers of Malaysian restaurant Polam Kopitiam (寶林茶室) in the food court of Taipei’s Far Eastern Department Store Xinyi A13 have reported falling ill after eating there — most of them ate a stir-fried flat rice noodle dish — between March 19 and last Sunday.
Two men died two days and a week, respectively, after eating at the restaurant, and five other people were hospitalized under intensive care.
The issue first grabbed public attention on Tuesday after the Taipei Department of Health received reports from three other hospitals about cases possibly linked to the restaurant, and an on-site inspection by Food and Drug Administration and Centers for Disease Control officials was conducted that day, while the restaurant franchise was ordered to suspend all operations.
With the help of healthcare professionals, public health experts and toxicologists, an impromptu meeting of specialists convened by the Ministry of Health and Welfare on Wednesday evening determined bongkrek acid to be the likely cause, and they later confirmed that blood from the dead and hospitalized people all tested positive for bongkrek acid, marking the first cases ever in Taiwan.
As the investigation progressed, a pan-blue camp local newspaper was quick to blame the central government led by the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), publishing an editorial on Wednesday claiming that Taiwan is in a state of anarchy, as people can die from a meal at a food court and a foster child can die after being abused by a caregiver; while other pan-blue camp politicians blamed the central government for stepping in too late on Wednesday, when the first death occurred on Sunday.
DPP city councilors and legislators pointed their finger back at the Taipei City Government led by Mayor Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT), accusing the city government of reporting the cases to the central government too late and passing the buck; while pan-green camp critics questioned Chiang’s ability to deal with food safety, child abuse and other public security problems.
However, the public is not interested in whether the central or the local government should apologize at this time, but is more eager to understand how the incident occurred and if it has affected other food products.
The answers can be better provided by the central and local governments working together efficiently and professionally.
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