Wei Chuan recalls 12 products after gutter oil revelation

[LightYears]

Wei Chuan recalls 12 products after gutter oil revelation

CNA
2014-09-05

Wei Chuan products being taken off the shelf at a supermarket on Thursday, Sept. 4. (Photo/CNA)

Wei Chuan Foods, one of Taiwan's oldest food companies, on Thursday announced a recall of 12 types of products including its popular pork fiber and meat paste following the revelation they had been made with oil recycled from kitchen waste.

The food company, a subsidiary of the Ting Hsin International Group, apologized in a late Thursday statement for using adulterated ingredients in 12 of its edible products.

Wei Chuan said that in an effort to protect consumers' rights, it has begun pulling the products from the shelves of major retailers, including Carrefour, RT Mart, Far Eastern A-Mart and PxMart. It said it will accept returns and give refunds for the affected products.

Wei Chuan said that it has used about 15.6 tonnes of oils provided by Kaohsiung-based Chang Guann Company since April as ingredients for the products.

Chang Guann has allegedly been using recycled oils to produce what it sold as lard-based oil.

According to Chang Guann, the oil was sourced between February and August by an individual named Kuo Lieh-cheng, who allegedly worked with five others to use a phony waste processing company as a front to collect oils meant for recycling for uses other than human consumption.

Chang Guann bought 242 tonnes of oil provided by Kuo and made them into 782 tonnes of products sold as lard-based oils.

The apparently unscrupulous businesspeople are believed to have gone as far as to collect grease by-products from leather processing plants to market as edible oils, police said.

Wei Chuan said that it took the initiative to report its problematic products to health authorities in Taipei and began a recall immediately.

This is not the first time Wei Chuan has used problematic ingredients in its products. Last year, it was accused of using adulterated ingredients in 21 of its edible oil products.

According to the Ministry of Education, suppliers of school lunches at more than 100 elementary and secondary schools in Greater Taipei have used cooking oil from Chang Guann.

Though not all the oils are problematic, the ministry has instructed those schools to suspend the use of oil from that producer and to avoid the 12 affected Wei Chuan products.

Chang Guann chairperson Yeh Wen-hsiang said his company is an industry veteran with more than 20 years experience and was unaware that the oil provided was problematic. He apologized to the public and said he was sorry that the company has been implicated.