Yihao Classroom
Willful violation of food safety regulations by Ting Hsin International Group, leading to boycotts of its brands such as Master Kong.
The scandal involving Ting Hsin International Group's tainted oil in Taiwan has not subsided despite the resignation of Wei Ying-chong, one of the four Wei brothers who control the group. With many consumers losing confidence in Ting Hsin, a boycott movement has begun in Taiwan, potentially impacting brands such as Wei Chuan, Texas Chicken, and Master Kong. The boycott is not limited to Taiwan; mainland China and Hong Kong have also banned related products.
Recently, Taiwanese prosecutors discovered that Ting Hsin's subsidiary, Justice Company, used feed oil to adulterate edible lard. Investigations revealed that Justice Company purchased animal feed oil from Xin Hao Company and mixed it with edible lard to produce products such as "Ve Li Qing Xiang You," "Ve Li Xiang Zhu You," "Justice Xiang Zhu You," and 15kg barrels of lard, which were sold to downstream bakery manufacturers, street vendors, and chain stores.
Zhu Yi, an associate professor at China Agricultural University, compared the standards for feed oil and edible oil in Taiwan, finding that edible oil has more detailed and stricter standards. The main difference lies in the raw materials. Edible oil must be made from healthy pigs without disease, excluding certain organs such as skin, tail, and bones. There are clear definitions for the source of pork used. Feed oil does not have such strict regulations. Furthermore, there are no standards for heavy metal detection in feed oil. In terms of harm, if only a small amount is added, the quantity is negligible and will not cause immediate harm. However, excessive consumption can be harmful. Although this harm is potential and the risk to the body is low, the government and consumers must have zero tolerance for this practice.
Following the incident, Ting Hsin International Group took a series of remedial measures. Justice Company, the main culprit in the "feed oil" incident, issued a statement on its website, stating that it had stopped using the problematic raw materials to produce related products and had preventively removed and recalled related lard products. Wei Ying-chong also resigned from his positions as chairman of Wei Chuan Foods, Ting Hsin Oil, and Justice Company. Wei Ying-chong also stated that he would close Ting Hsin Oil and Justice Oil factories until food safety is improved. Ironically, the Taiwanese prosecutor's office stated that the prosecutor's office had already ordered the factory to shut down, and it was not a decision made by Ting Hsin Group.
Ting Hsin's measures did not garner public sympathy; instead, they triggered boycotts in Taiwan and other regions, including mainland China. Within just one year, Ting Hsin has been involved in three tainted oil scandals. During last month's scandal involving the tainted lard from Strong Crown, Wei Chuan, a subsidiary, was implicated but escaped penalty due to proactively reporting and removing related products. At the end of last year, Ta Tung Long Chi Food Company was found to have added copper chlorophyll and falsely labeled products as pure oil, with Ting Hsin listed among its clients.
The feed oil incident first sparked a large-scale boycott of Ting Hsin products in Taiwan. The Consumers' Foundation, Taiwan's largest consumer rights protection organization, called on consumers to boycott all Ting Hsin products and services, issuing the strongest possible warning. Zhang Zhigang, chairman of the Consumers' Foundation, stated that Ting Hsin has been involved in three consecutive scandals—the Ta Tung oil scandal, the gutter oil scandal, and the feed oil scandal—demonstrating a complete lack of self-reflection.
Subsequently, Taiwan witnessed several unprecedented collective boycotts of Ting Hsin products. Government departments, politicians, and social groups have participated in the boycott of all Ting Hsin products. For example, on October 10, Taipei City Government's Department of Education Director Lin Yi-hua issued a statement that, given the repeated serious food safety violations by Ting Hsin International Group and Wei Chuan Foods, Taipei City elementary schools would suspend the supply of Wei Chuan dairy products from October 13. Taipei City government schools, social education institutions, and school cooperatives will also stop selling all Ting Hsin and Wei Chuan products.
The Centre for Food Safety of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region recently announced that after a risk assessment, it has banned the import and sale of all animal-derived cooking oils produced in Taiwan. Businesses holding related products should immediately stop using and selling them. From the 8th to the present, the Centre for Food Safety has seized approximately 200 tons of animal-derived cooking oil imported from Taiwan.
The General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine of China also issued a notice on the 11th, stating that since 2013, mainland China has not imported edible lard from Taiwan, and the administration has suspended the import of other edible oils from Justice Company. Yesterday, Xiamen Customs returned a batch of goods to Taiwan. Reporters learned that this batch of returned products from the implicated company consisted of 13 containers, 19,750 boxes, weighing a total of 256 tons, all beverages and soy sauce from Wei Chuan Foods in Taiwan.
Gu Shangwu, deputy general manager of the Ting Hsin Group's catering business development department, stated that, to his knowledge, the oil used in mainland China did not come from Taiwan. The impact on mainland stores due to Texas Chicken's alleged use of Justice feed oil remains unclear.
Ting Hsin International Group's website shows that it owns many well-known brands, including Texas Chicken, Wei Chuan, FamilyMart, and Master Kong. Although the main problem involves edible oil companies, the impact on its affiliated companies serves as a warning to food companies, especially large food groups. Zhu Yi told reporters: "Although the products returned by mainland customs are not oil products, they are produced or supervised by Ting Hsin's subsidiaries. Therefore, this measure is also intended to minimize food safety risks."
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