One of Taiwan’s oldest food companies announced a recall last week of 12 products after finding out they may have been made with oil recycled from kitchen and industrial waste.
Wei Chuan Foods has been pulling the products from the shelves of major retailers, including Carrefour, RT Mart, Far Eastern A-Mart and PxMart. Consumers are being told to return the recalled products for refunds. The company said that since April it had used about 15.6 tons of supposedly lard-based oils provided by Kaohsiung-based Chang Guann Company as ingredients for the products. Some of the oil was allegedly recycled from kitchen waste and possibly industrial uses and may also have been used to make lunch items for local schools. According to media reports, Taipei police arrested six people on Thursday in connection with the situation, and they also seized some of the tainted oil. The company’s stock reportedly took a hit last week after the news broke and was down to its lowest point since January 2013. The waste oil may also have been sold to more than 1,000 other companies to make as many as 139 different food products, including bakery items sold in Hong Kong. As a result, Chinese groceries were reportedly pulling Taiwanese brands off the shelf this past weekend. Wei Chuan has a U.S.-based subsidiary headquartered in California that manufactures and distributes mainly frozen and other food products such as dumplings, potstickers and egg rolls. In June, there was a recall involving its pork buns due to misbranding and undeclared allergens.
The News Desk team at Food Safety News covers breaking developments, regulatory updates, recalls, and key topics shaping food safety today. These articles are produced collaboratively by our editorial staff.
Khong Guan Corporation is recalling specific lots of “Glutinous Rice Balls with Black Sesame Filling” because they may contain undeclared peanuts.
People who have an allergy or severe sensitivity to
Fayus Inc., doing business as Yusol International Foods of Sacramento, CA, is recalling OLA-OLA POUNDED YAM because the product may contain undeclared milk in the form of sodium caseinate,
Eunha Fisheries Co. Ltd. of Busan, Republic of Korea, is recalling certain Sliced Korean Halibut and Flounder Sashimi products because the accompanying soy sauce and vinegar red pepper paste packets
Gellert Global Group of Elizabeth, NJ, is recalling 8.1 oz packages of ALDI Brand Fusia Asian Inspirations Kimchi & Tofu Kimbap because they may contain undeclared tuna.
People who
As part of its enforcement activities, the Food and Drug Administration sends warning letters to entities under its jurisdiction. Some letters are not posted for public view until weeks or
Mexican authorities have warned about an adulterated brand of tequila as investigations continue into several tainted alcohol deaths.
La Comisión Federal para la Protección contra Riesgos Sanitarios (COFEPRIS) said the
The Food and Drug Administration uses import alerts to enforce U.S. food safety regulations for food from foreign countries. The agency updates and modifies the alerts as needed.
Recent
The Yakima Health District in Washington is investigating 10 confirmed and suspected cases of Salmonella infection among individuals who reported eating food at the Fourth of July event hosted by
