Taiwan residents and opposition parties decry DPP's food safety failures

Taiwan residents and opposition parties have slammed Democratic Progressive Party authorities over a recent "tainted oil" scandal on the island, as more than 200,000 people rallied in Taipei on Saturday evening to demand that the DPP apologize and hold officials accountable for the food safety crisis.

The rally, under the banner "I Am Human, I Oppose Poisonous Taiwan", was held along Ketagalan Boulevard to express public anger over what participants described as the DPP authorities' delayed response, attempts to shift responsibility and alleged withholding of information regarding the tainted oil.

Opposition party leaders, including Cheng Li-wun, chairwoman of the Chinese Kuomintang, and Huang Kuo-chang, chairman of the Taiwan People's Party, as well as Han Kuo-yu, head of Taiwan's legislative body, along with other lawmakers and city mayors, attended the demonstration.

Cheng said people had taken to the streets to demand that the food they consume not expose them to cancer risks. She said Saturday's rally was only the beginning, not the end, and called on people to stand together to safeguard food safety and "bring down the shameless DPP".

Huang said the tainted oil incident exposed what he described as the DPP's lies, accusing the authorities of failing to reflect on their actions and instead responding to public concerns with an arrogant attitude.

At the rally, Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an said the incident had affected more than 1,380 schools across the island, with about 105,000 teachers and students affected in Taipei alone. He criticized the Lai Ching-te administration for failing to provide a clear account of the incident or assume responsibility.

The scandal came to light after a batch of about 1,300 metric tons of soybean salad oil produced by the Central Union Oil Corp in Taichung in April was reported to have contained benzo[a]pyrene, a carcinogen, at a level four times the legal limit. Another batch of oil from the company was also found to contain excessive levels of the substance.

According to media reports, a total of 2,600 tons of the "tainted oil" produced in April and May had already entered the market and been supplied to major food processors across the island before the government released the report in early July, affecting about 360 downstream supermarkets and restaurants.

So far, seven batches of oil found to have exceeded safety limits have been identified, totaling about 8,000 tons. The "tainted oil" has spread to all 22 counties and cities across Taiwan, raising growing public concerns over food safety.

lishangyi@chinadaily.com.cn