By RK Shih/KHT Staff. Images via Ko Chih-en Facebook page.
KAOHSIUNG — KMT Kaohsiung mayoral candidate Ko Chih-en (柯志恩) criticized DPP lawmakers Saturday over their response to the Central Union Oil (中聯油脂) scandal, saying they had focused on attacking local governments rather than explaining how contaminated oil entered the food supply chain.
Ko made the comments after joining a KMT-led food safety rally on Ketagalan Boulevard in Taipei. Organizers claimed more than 100,000 people attended, though the figure could not be independently verified.
The rally was held after soybean oil produced by Central Union Oil was found to contain excessive levels of benzo[a]pyrene, a carcinogenic compound. The case has led to product recalls, inspections of downstream food manufacturers, and proposed changes to food safety reporting rules.
Ko said food safety should not be treated as a partisan issue and called for a full investigation into the source of the contamination.
“If a government cannot even protect people’s dining tables, how can it protect Taiwan?” Ko said.
Ko said DPP lawmakers had not offered useful proposals on food safety reform and had instead targeted the Taichung and Taipei city governments over inspection procedures.
DPP Kaohsiung mayoral candidate Lai Jui-lung (賴瑞隆) has also addressed the scandal, saying earlier this month that Taiwan’s food safety defenses “cannot be compromised” and that problem products should be stopped at the source.
Lai has called for stronger inspections, traceability, and information disclosure, while Ko has proposed an “安心標章,” or safety label, for businesses that complete voluntary checks.
The Food and Drug Administration has said proposed amendments to food safety rules would strengthen source management, production controls, abnormality reporting, quality management, and digital governance. The FDA said the changes would also raise penalties for delayed, concealed, or false reporting and clarify how products should be removed from shelves or allowed back on sale.
