Taiwan has significantly expanded a precautionary nationwide food recall linked to contaminated soybean oil, ordering more than 400 food products, including packaged meals, instant noodles and sauces, to be removed from store shelves as authorities race to contain one of the island’s largest recent food safety incidents.
The widening recall has also evolved into a political controversy, with opposition lawmakers accusing the government of mishandling the crisis and demanding the resignation of senior health officials, including the health minister.
The food safety case first emerged on Jul 1, when the Taiwan Food and Drug Administration (TFDA) announced that Taichung-based edible oil supplier Central Union Oil had detected excessive levels of benzo[a]pyrene in a batch of its soybean salad oil during quality testing.
Benzo[a]pyrene is classified as a Group 1 carcinogen by the International Agency for Research on Cancer, meaning there is sufficient evidence that it can cause cancer in humans. The chemical belongs to a group of compounds known as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), which are typically produced during the incomplete combustion of organic materials such as coal, petroleum, tobacco and wood.
According to the TFDA, approximately 1,300 metric tonnes of the affected soybean oil contained benzo[a]pyrene at a concentration of 8.1 micrograms per kilogram—more than four times Taiwan’s legal safety limit of 2 micrograms per kilogram.
Authorities said the contaminated oil had been supplied to three food manufacturers—Tai Sun Enterprise, Fwusow Industry and Formosa Oilseed Processing—between Apr 8 and Apr 10. The companies subsequently used the oil in a wide range of food products that were distributed throughout Taiwan.
The recall has progressively widened as investigators traced the contaminated oil through increasingly complex supply chains.
The initial recall announced on Jul 1 covered the contaminated soybean oil itself as well as products manufactured directly by the three companies that received the affected shipments.
Three days later, on Jul 4, the TFDA expanded the recall to include downstream food products containing at least 20 per cent of the contaminated oil. However, as investigations continued, authorities concluded that a broader approach was necessary.
On Jul 7, regulators removed the percentage threshold entirely, extending the recall to all downstream food products made using the contaminated oil, regardless of the amount incorporated into the final product.
The expanded recall has dramatically increased the number of affected products.
According to local media reports, the TFDA’s latest list includes 401 recalled food items as of Wednesday. The products span multiple categories commonly found in supermarkets and convenience stores, including salad dressings, seasoning sauces, flavoured sauces, bakery fillings, ready-to-eat meals, packaged foods and instant noodles.
Officials acknowledged that the list could continue to change as investigations into the supply chain progress.
The TFDA said it had contacted 331 affected businesses by Tuesday and was continuing efforts to trace another 29 companies believed to have received products containing the contaminated oil.
Authorities have urged businesses to immediately stop selling affected products and cooperate fully with the recall.
Speaking at a press conference on Thursday, Minister of Health and Welfare Shih Chung-liang announced that all food products linked to the contaminated cooking oil produced between April and June must be removed from retail shelves by Friday at noon.
The government said the deadline was intended to ensure consumers are no longer exposed to potentially affected products while investigators complete their assessment of the contamination.
Health officials have emphasised that the recall is precautionary and designed to eliminate any products that may have incorporated the contaminated oil during production.
Consumers have been advised to check recall notices issued by authorities and avoid consuming products included on the expanding list.
Central Union Oil has been fined NT$165.2 million (approximately US$5.2 million) over the incident, one of the largest penalties imposed in Taiwan for a food safety violation.
Authorities allege that the company failed to promptly report the contamination after discovering the elevated benzo[a]pyrene levels.
Shih said the supplier also provided inaccurate information during the government’s investigation, complicating efforts to trace the distribution of the contaminated oil and identify affected products.
Officials are continuing to investigate how the contamination occurred and whether additional regulatory or legal action may be warranted.
Benzo[a]pyrene is widely recognised as a hazardous environmental contaminant and is closely monitored in food products around the world.
The compound can form during high-temperature processing or incomplete combustion and has been linked to an increased risk of cancer following prolonged exposure at elevated levels.
Food safety authorities generally regulate permissible concentrations of benzo[a]pyrene in edible oils and other food products to minimise long-term health risks.
While officials have not reported any illnesses directly linked to the contaminated soybean oil, regulators have stressed that exceeding legal safety limits necessitates immediate recall measures to protect public health.
Experts note that occasional exposure does not necessarily pose an immediate health threat, but regulatory limits are designed to reduce cumulative exposure over time.
As the recall continues to expand, the incident has become increasingly politicised, with opposition parties accusing the government of responding too slowly and failing to communicate clearly with consumers.
According to local news outlet Focus Taiwan, a committee of the Legislative Yuan on Wednesday approved a motion introduced by opposition lawmakers calling for Premier Cho Jung-tai, Health Minister Shih Chung-liang and TFDA Director-General Chiang Chih-kang to step down over their handling of the crisis.
The motion urged all three officials to apologise publicly and resign to take responsibility for what opposition legislators described as shortcomings in the government’s response.
Criticism has largely centred on the evolving scope of the recall.
Opposition lawmakers questioned why authorities initially limited the recall before expanding it several times, arguing that the staged approach created confusion among consumers and businesses.
Government officials have defended the process, saying the recall expanded as investigators gained a clearer understanding of how widely the contaminated oil had spread through the food manufacturing supply chain.
Tracing ingredients through multiple layers of food production is often a complex process that requires authorities to identify downstream manufacturers before determining which products should be recalled.
Facing mounting criticism, Shih acknowledged public frustration over the changing recall announcements.
According to Focus Taiwan, the minister said he was willing to apologise for the inconvenience and confusion caused by the expanding scope of the recall.
He maintained, however, that authorities were acting based on the latest evidence available during the investigation.
Shih also said accountability would be reviewed after the government completes its full investigation into the incident.
Officials have pledged to examine both the source of the contamination and the effectiveness of current food safety reporting requirements to determine whether regulatory reforms are needed.
