Taisun executives detained as Taiwan cooking oil scandal deepens
Published on 07/26/2026 at 00:57 | Redaktion boerse-global.de
The Taichung District Court has ordered the detention of Taisun Enterprise's current and former general managers as part of an escalating investigation into contaminated cooking oil that has already triggered widespread recalls across Taiwan's food industry. The case serves as a stark reminder to food manufacturers everywhere of the severe consequences when safety failures are concealed rather than reported.
Court cites destruction of evidence
Current general manager Tsai Kuo-liang and former general manager Shen Yi-chun were ordered to be held incommunicado following an eight-hour court hearing on July 25, 2026. The judiciary expressed concerns that the two executives might collude or destroy evidence, noting that staff members had reportedly deleted messages and mobile screenshots before the latest wave of searches.
A plant manager surnamed Chang was released on bail of NT$5 million. The investigation previously led to the detention of Yu Ling-chung, president of Central Union Oil Corp., while that firm's plant manager, Chen Ming-jung, was released on NT$1 million bail.
Allegations of intentional distribution
The probe centres on soybean salad oil supplied by Central Union Oil Corp. that was found to contain benzo[a]pyrene levels exceeding legal safety limits. Prosecutors launched a third wave of searches on July 24, targeting the residences of high-ranking officials and corporate offices, where they seized mobile phones, cloud data, and sales records for seven batches of problematic oil.
According to the prosecution, evidence suggests that the Taisun executives were aware of the abnormalities in the oil supply but allowed the products to be processed and sold to avoid financial losses. Investigators have categorised the actions of the leadership as having "uncertain intent" rather than simple negligence — a distinction that would constitute a violation of the Act Governing Food Safety and Sanitation.
Widespread recalls and market impact
The scale of the contamination has triggered sweeping recalls across the regional food industry. By July 24, authorities reported that approximately 676,000 kilograms of the tainted oil products had been removed from the market.
Official data indicates that the scandal has impacted 267 different businesses. As the investigation continues, prosecutors are working to determine if additional accomplices or witnesses were involved in concealing the safety failures or falsifying production records.
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