Taiwan orders nationwide recall of contaminated Zhonglian soybean oil

Taiwan's Food and Drug Administration (TFDA) has ordered the indefinite suspension of production by Zhonglian Oil Co. after three batches of its soybean salad oil were found to contain the carcinogen benzopyrene (BaP) at levels up to four times the legal limit. The first batch was detected on 4 April, a second on 12 May, and a third on 10 May, prompting the agency to deem the problem systemic rather than isolated.

The government has expanded preventive recalls to all products made with the affected oil from April to June, covering 440 items across 49 product lines from downstream manufacturers such as Fushou, Fuma and Taishan. Companies must submit full downstream flow‑down lists, batch numbers and quantities by 10 July noon, otherwise they face penalties. A fine of NT$1.652 billion has been imposed on Zhonglian.

Premier Cho Rong‑tai instructed the cabinet to broaden preventive withdrawals, simplify return procedures, support consumer class‑action lawsuits and start food‑safety law revisions to strengthen source control, processing checks and post‑market surveillance.