Taiwan Detains Fourth Oil Executive in Growing Food-Safety Scandal
Published on 08/01/2026 at 20:17 | Redaktion boerse-global.de
Taiwanese authorities have escalated their crackdown on the edible oil industry after carcinogenic contaminants were found in both soybean and camellia oil products. On August 1, the Taichung District Court ordered the detention of Chen Ming-jung, plant manager at Chung-Lien Oil, making him the fourth executive held incommunicado in an expanding food-safety investigation. The case carries significant implications for UK food importers and manufacturers who source ingredients from the region.
Court Overturns Bail in Chung-Lien Case
Chen's detention follows a successful appeal by prosecutors after a higher court overturned a bail ruling from late July. The court found that Chen, as plant manager, failed in his duty to oversee oil quality and allegedly conspired with other officials to conceal evidence.
Investigations revealed that commercial partners, including Taiwan Sugar and Namchow, notified the facility of excessive benzo[a]pyrene (BaP) levels in May and June. Despite these warnings, Chen reportedly failed to halt production or report the findings to regulators.
Chen joins three other senior industry figures in detention, including Chung-Lien General Manager Yu Ling-chung and current and former general managers from Taisun. Prosecutors have also seized real estate belonging to several major firms, including Chung-Lien, Fuso, Fumat, and Taisun.
Three Critical Failures Identified
A specialised report released by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on July 27 identified three systemic failures at Chung-Lien: substandard raw materials, flawed manufacturing processes, and insufficient testing.
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The investigation found that in June 2025, the company relaxed its internal standards for heat-damaged soybean grains tenfold, raising the allowable limit from 0.5% to 5%. This shift significantly increased the risk of BaP contamination.
The FDA also noted that the company's degumming and decolorization processes were not optimised to mitigate these risks, while quality control inspections remained inadequate. Government officials have stressed that manufacturers must remain responsible for the quality of their raw material supplies.
Camellia Oil Production Suspended
The scandal has now spread to the camellia oil sector. On August 1, the Chiayi County Health Bureau ordered Yuan Chun Oil Plant to suspend operations after eight batches of camellia oil from four brands were found to contain BaP above legal limits.
The contaminated products, including brands such as Yong Feng Yu and International Functional Foods, showed BaP concentrations between 2.4 and 2.9 ?g/kg — exceeding the national safety standard of 2 ?g/kg. Yuan Chun has confirmed a temporary closure to cooperate with the investigation and has opened a return process for products manufactured between December 2025 and July 2026.
Imported Raw Materials Under Scrutiny
Health and Welfare Minister Shih Chung-liang stated on August 1 that authorities strongly suspect the contaminated raw materials originated overseas. Approximately 95% of camellia seeds used in domestic production are imported.
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The Minister highlighted a significant regulatory discrepancy: Taiwan maintains a BaP limit of 2 ppb, while China's standard is 10 ppb. Although Yuan Chun claimed to have sourced materials from local farmers in Chiayi, the company could not provide supporting documentation. The case has been referred to prosecutors to determine whether imported materials were falsely labelled as local.
The government plans to launch specialised inspections and implement a tiered management system for edible oil products to prevent further contamination in the supply chain.
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