FDA warns against Taiwan food products tainted with recycled oil

Philippine health authorities on Tuesday issued an advisory against food products from Taiwan that may be tainted with recycled waste oil.

The Food and Drug Administration said its Taiwan counterpart had announced a list of food companies that reportedly bought suspected tainted products from Chang Guann Co. in Taiwan.

In Advisory 2014-068, FDA head Kenneth Hartigan-Go said FDA records showed some Philippine FDA-registered products were sourced by some FDA-licensed distributors or importers from Taiwan-based companies in the Taiwan FDA list.

Hartigan-Go said the distributors and importers sell products including barbecue sauces and bamboo shoot strips in chili oil.

"The distributors/importers of these registered products met with the Center for Food Regulation and Research last Sept. 11 and committed to the FDA that they will voluntar(il)y recall the said products," he said.

In the meantime, he asked the public to report unregistered products via email at report@fda.gov.ph, and to direct inquiries to info@fda.gov.ph.

Last week, the FDA said it is checking food products for recycled lard oil from Taiwan.

"If these products entered the local market, they will be recalled," Hartigan-Go said at the time. — Joel Locsin/JST, GMA News