By KHT Staff
KAOHSIUNG — The Kaohsiung Department of Health (高雄市政府衛生局) found a food-handling deficiency at Costco Taiwan’s (好市多) North Kaohsiung Dashun warehouse (北高雄大順店) after a video appeared to show an employee washing ovens beside uncovered cooked chickens, according to the United Daily News.
Inspectors ordered the warehouse in Gushan District (鼓山區) to correct the problem immediately. The department said the sales area otherwise met requirements and food-service workers had completed their required health examinations, but the production process did not adequately prevent possible cross-contamination.
The available reports did not say whether the chickens shown in the video were sold, and they did not identify any associated illnesses.
The footage was recorded near closing time on Tuesday, Sept. 8, by a Guatemalan resident living in Taiwan, TVBS News reported. The customer said an employee used a strong stream of water to clean the inside and outside of the ovens while several unwrapped rotisserie chickens remained on a nearby preparation table.
The customer said he could feel spray from where he was filming and believed the exposed chickens had been splashed. He said others suggested the chickens might have been awaiting disposal, but he questioned why they remained beside other cooked chickens.
Costco acknowledges handling error
Costco said its normal procedure requires employees to wait until the final batch of chickens has been packaged at 7 p.m. before cleaning begins. The retailer acknowledged that staff did not follow the procedure and said it would strengthen employee training and operational oversight.
The company said it would use purchase records to contact members who may have bought chickens during the potentially affected period. Customers may take their membership cards to a nearby Costco warehouse to request refunds, the United Daily News reported.
The health department said Costco could face a fine of at least NT$60,000 if inspectors find the same violation during a follow-up inspection.
Location: Costco’s official warehouse page lists the North Kaohsiung location at No. 111 Dashun 1st Road, Gushan District.
