The popularity of China-made wax candies is a significant food safety concern, as they have never been approved by the government, Deputy Minister of Health and Welfare Lin Ching-yi (林靜儀) said yesterday.
As the government has never received applications for imports of the confectionary, all those sold in Taiwan are illegal, Lin said in an interview with the Chinese-language Liberty Times (the sister newspaper of the Taipei Times).
People should think hard whether allowing children to eat something that was illegally imported into the country is a good idea, she said.
Photo: screen grab from the Internet
Lin said she first learned about its popularity among children when she saw it trending online and asked the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) about it.
The FDA said it had not received any application to import the candy, Lin said.
Local trade regulations clearly state that Chinese-made candies and snacks must conform to trade laws between Taiwan and China, she said.
Photo: Chiu Chih-jou, Taipei Times
The products must comply with Article 30 of the Act Governing Food Safety and Sanitation (食品安全衛生管理法), state product origins and undergo tests to see what kind of additives, if any, are included and whether it contains substances banned in Taiwan, she said.
People might buy snacks in China and share them with friends in school, which would be hard to ban, but selling such snacks at night markets or stores is illegal, she said.
City and county bureaus and health departments nationwide are investigating possible infractions, she said, sharing how the Kaohsiung Department of Health on Tuesday fined night market vendors illegally selling the confectionary.
Consumers should be alert when they see product labels that are not clear or do not use a language commonly used in Taiwan.
They must know how to interpret information correctly to protect their health and uphold food safety, she said.
Food safety regulations are constantly being updated, including regulations on labeling, which demand that all products carry information such as the manufacturer’s name, origin and product contents, she said.
The deputy minister added that consumers can verify this information on the Ministry of Health and Welfare Web site and with the Ministry of Agriculture.
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