Taiwan recalls contaminated salad oil after benzo[a]pyrene found in schools

A food‑safety scandal erupted in Taiwan after testing revealed that soybean salad oil sold by several manufacturers contained the carcinogen benzo[a]pyrene. More than 400 product lines were implicated, with about 2,600 tons of oil identified as problematic; authorities have so far recovered roughly 1 % of it. The contamination reached over 800 school cafeterias, prompting public outcry.

KMT legislator Luo Ting‑wei criticised the government for weak inspections and indecisive decisions, noting that the Executive Yuan had initially allowed a lower‑grade product to stay on the market and only later ordered a full recall. He called for stronger oversight and accountability from the health ministry.

In response, Taishan Enterprise began destroying about 10 tons of the suspect oil under the supervision of the Changhua County Health Bureau, converting the waste into biodiesel. The bureau also traced the oil’s downstream flow, inspecting 28 downstream operators—including food wholesalers and school‑meal suppliers—and removed roughly 1,101 kg of contaminated product. Ongoing monitoring aims to prevent any further distribution of the tainted oil.