Taiwan company in gutter oil scandal faces ‘fake permits’ probe over Hong Kong import

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Taiwan company in gutter oil scandal faces ‘fake permits’ probe over Hong Kong imports

Two shipments of industrial lard oil imported by Chang Guann had permits for human use

PUBLISHED : Wednesday, 10 September, 2014, 5:18pm
UPDATED : Wednesday, 10 September, 2014, 9:46pm

Lawrence Chung in Taipei [email protected]

A representative of Po Yuen Lard Company, said to have supplied gutter oil to Taiwan cooking oil supplier Chang Guann, shows a bottle of lard to the media. Photo: David Wong

Taiwan’s food and drug authority revealed on Wednesday that 87 tonnes of lard oil imported by supplier Chang Guann from Hong Kong were certified for “human use”, prompting questions over fraudulent permits amid a widening “gutter oil” scandal.

Chiang Yu-mei, deputy director-general of Taiwan’s Food and Drug Administration, said shipment and customs documents showed that the “lard oil”, which came in two batches, were shipped to Taiwan in March and May along with certificates from Hong Kong notary agencies which appeared to have inspected the oil.

The certificates said the oil was tested for acid value, aflatoxins (which comes from mould) and heavy metals – and met all safety requirements, Chiang said.

She said relevant authorities are investigating if the certificates were faked and whether the oil bought by Chang Guann from Hong Kong was either for human or industrial use.

The authority did not say which supplier the two batches were from.

Taiwanese firm Chang Guann is accused of blending lard oil, commonly used for industrial purposes, with the illegal substance “gutter oil”, made from kitchen waste, and edible oil.

Local media reported that Chang Guann, based in Kaohsiung, had imported at least 2,400 tonnes of such oil from Hong Kong in the past four years, but Chiang said her administration only had a record of two batches imported by the company this year.

The company also sources from Hong Kong and Japan, according to reports.

Hundreds of food manufacturers, bakeries and restaurants in Taiwan and Hong Kong are believed to have used the oil from Chang Guann, including Maxim’s, 7-Eleven, local Starbucks outlets and Café Express.

Some of these businesses have pulled possibly affected products off the shelves over health concerns. Gutter oil is said to be harmful to the nervous system and may contain a cancer-causing chemical.