CHIAYI, Taiwan – A traditional oil factory in Chiayi has stopped production after authorities traced eight batches of camellia oil containing excessive levels of a cancer-linked contaminant back to the business.
Yuanchun Oil Factory, located in Meishan Township, is now accepting returns for products made between December 2025 and July 2026, including bottles that have already been opened.
The investigation centers on benzoapyrene, a substance that can form when seeds are exposed to excessive heat or smoke during drying and processing. Officials are still trying to determine whether the contamination began inside the factory or entered earlier through its supply chain.
The case has drawn wider attention because Taiwan Sugar Corp. had already detected high levels of the same substance in a rejected shipment of crude soybean oil in May. The company did not alert health authorities at the time, arguing that the oil was unfinished and never entered production.
That explanation has triggered a debate over whether companies should report potentially dangerous ingredients even when they are rejected before reaching consumers.
