Taipei: The remaining batches of cooking oil made by Central Union Oil Corp. between April and June have passed safety tests, according to the Taiwan Food and Drug Administration (TFDA). The agency confirmed on Monday that all 30 batches produced during this period met safety standards.

According to Focus Taiwan, seven batches were previously found to contain excessive levels of the carcinogen benzo[a]pyrene (BaP), sparking a major food safety scare and leading to widespread product recalls. While one batch was exported overseas and could not be sampled, the remaining 22 batches, including three that were not shipped, tested negative for excessive BaP levels.

The TFDA reported that they conducted tests on 53 raw oil samples and 171 finished products. Among these, four raw oil samples and five finished products failed the safety tests. These failures were linked to two raw oil batches produced on April 8 and April 13, which had already been identified as having excessive BaP levels.

TFDA Deputy Director-General Wang Te-yuan stated that the agency cross-checked lab findings with traceability records to determine the full scope of affected products. The Food Safety Risk Assessment Advisory Committee is set to meet on Tuesday to discuss whether products removed from shelves as a precaution can be returned to stores.

An independent investigation team, commissioned by the TFDA, will inspect Central Union's factory on Tuesday to conduct a thorough review of its manufacturing and quality management processes. This investigation aims to identify the cause of the contamination and is expected to be completed within a week, Wang added.

Meanwhile, the Cabinet announced that the Ministry of Health and Welfare (MOHW) will submit amendments to the Act Governing Food Safety and Sanitation and related regulations for Cabinet review on Thursday. These revisions, prompted by the Central Union case, are expected to introduce tougher penalties for companies that delay, conceal, or falsify reports of food safety incidents.

Central Union was fined NT$165.2 million for failing to immediately report in the second week of June that a batch of its soy-based cooking oil contained four times the permitted level of BaP. The company disclosed the findings at the end of June, three weeks after learning of them, according to MOHW in early July.

Other measures in the proposed revisions include stricter self-testing requirements for high-risk food businesses, expanded product traceability, and clearer rules governing product recalls, precautionary withdrawals, and relisting.