Food

Officials hit supermarket aisles in price probe

The China Post
Date: October 22, 2016
By: The China Post news staff

TAIPEI, Taiwan — With the aim of curbing rising fruit and vegetable prices, officials from the Executive

A government official checks food labels in a supermarket on Friday, Oct. 21. The government has started a task force to ensure fruit and vegetable prices stay stable. Rising food prices in the wake of typhoons and torrential rains have drawn wide public concern. (CNA)

A government official checks food labels in a supermarket on Friday, Oct. 21. The government has started a task force to ensure fruit and vegetable prices stay stable. Rising food prices in the wake of typhoons and torrential rains have drawn wide public concern. (CNA)

Yuan paid visits to multiple supermarkets and traditional markets on Friday to check on food prices.

The Consumer Protection Committee yesterday sent its officers to several supermarkets and traditional markets in Taipei.

The government action comes at a time when consumers are growing impatient with vegetable prices still high, despite typhoon-related torrential weather ending two weeks ago.

Consumer Protection Committee officer Wang De-ming (王德明) said food prices should peak this week and are expected to come down next week.

The Fair Trade Commission and the Council of the Agriculture have also been tasked by the central government with stabilizing local food prices.     [FULL  STORY]

Executive Yuan to tackle rising price of goods

The China Post
Date: October 21, 2016
By: John Liu

TAIPEI, Taiwan — Premier Lin Chuan (林全) yesterday gave the Executive Yuan a mandate to closely

Ex-KMT leaders pledge to help after meeting with Hung A consumer strolls in front of refrigerated food in a store on Thursday, Oct. 20. High fruit and vegetable prices have prompted the government to take stronger price-stabilizing actions. (Morgan Lin, the China Post)

Ex-KMT leaders pledge to help after meeting with Hung
A consumer strolls in front of refrigerated food in a store on Thursday, Oct. 20. High fruit and vegetable prices have prompted the government to take stronger price-stabilizing actions. (Morgan Lin, the China Post)

monitor consumer goods prices, saying merchants who engage in monopolistic practices or other forms of price manipulation would face prosecution.

In a press conference held Thursday, the Executive Yuan said that although the last typhoon had left Taiwan two weeks ago, fruits and vegetable prices had yet to fall, creating widespread public concern.

Lin described the high prices as a “pressing issue for the public.”

The Council of Agriculture was asked to verify supply and demand in the produce market. Per Lin’s instruction, merchants who hoard stocks with the intent of manipulating market prices will be prosecuted.

The Fair Trade Commission and the Consumer Protection Committee have been tapped with the responsibility of ascertaining the cause of the price disparities.    [FULL  STORY]

Tests find carcinogen in Great Day oil

Taiwan News
Date: 2016-09-30
By: Matthew Strong, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – Tests found excessive levels of the carcinogen benzene in cooking oil of the 6774021Great Day brand, the Consumers Foundation said Friday, though the Food and Drugs Administration said the levels were below the legal limit.

Over the past year, several laboratories performed tests on over a hundred cooking oil products from ten major brands, and the Great Day products came out as bearing the highest risk level, leading to the Consumers Foundation conducting more tests beginning last May, the group said.

At least three types of oil under the Great Day brand contained benzene levels over Taiwan’s legal maximum of 5 parts per billion, the foundation said. The European Union has the toughest limit of 1 ppb, Taiwan’s maximum is the same as that set by the United States, while the World Health Organization says up to 10 ppb of benzene is allowed in drinking water, according to the foundation.

However, the FDA denied that the levels found in the products had exceeded any legal limits. The manufacturer of Great Day cooking oil, Standard Foods, denied that its products were harmful, explaining that benzene occurred naturally in the environment, in water, air and even mother’s milk, a spokesperson said. The company added it did not exclude the possibility of legal action.     [FULL  STORY]

Food firms busted over expired produce

The China Post
Date: September 15, 2016
By: Sun Hsin Hsuan

TAIPEI, Taiwan — Officials seized over 50,000 kilograms of expired produce after raiding two

A batch of expired frozen squids is seen at in a Kaohsiung-based food supplier's cold storage facility on Wednesday, Sept. 14. More than 50,000 kilograms of expired food, including 11-year-old shrimp, were confiscated by the police in Kaohsiung in an attempt to crack down on illegal food-related activities. (CNA)

A batch of expired frozen squids is seen in a Kaohsiung-based food supplier’s cold storage facility on Wednesday, Sept. 14. More than 50,000 kilograms of expired food, including 11-year-old shrimp, were confiscated by the police in Kaohsiung in an attempt to crack down on illegal food-related activities. (CNA)

Kaohsiung food suppliers on Wednesday.

The haul, which included several boxes of 11-year-old frozen shrimp, was held by the two companies with the intent of selling it to restaurants.

A day ahead of the Mid-Autumn Festival weekend, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) — in a joint operation with the Kaohsiung City Government’s Health Department and the Kaohsiung District Prosecutors’ Office — raided the two food suppliers.

The owner of both firms later admitted to selling out-of-date food with fake expiry-date labels.

The FDA’s team uncovered the expired and unlabeled frozen food at cold storage facilities owned by Bai Xian Wu Enterprise Co. Ltd. (百鮮屋股份有限公司) and rented by Yen Jing International Pty Ltd’s (源進國際有限公司).

According to the FDA, the two companies are affiliates run by Wu Wei-chi (吳韋琦).

Wu admitted wrongdoing and was released on bail Wednesday.     [FULL  STORY]

Watch carbon footprint, preservatives when buying mooncakes: expert

Taiwan News
Date: 2016-09-06
By: Taiwan News, Staff Writer

The Mid-Autumn Festival, also known as Moon Cake Festival, is less than two weeks away. Taiwanese 6773242experts and opinion leaders have recently advised consumers to buy locally-produced products, which usually contain fewer preservatives than their imported counterparts or even none, with the latter requiring a much longer shelf-life after days or weeks of air or sea transportation.

Held on the 15th day of the eighth month in lunar calendar, the festival is a harvest festival celebrated by Taiwanese, ethnic Chinese and Vietnamese people. This year’s Mid-Autumn Festival falls on September 15. On the night of the full moon, people get together with their family and eat moon cakes and pomelos.

As food additives are among top food safety concerns, Taiwanese consumers spend more time on reading labels before purchasing or consuming food products. A preservative is reasonable in formula, is convenient to use and can prolong the shelf life of moon cakes by 35 days or longer, which is common among moon cake products intended for exports.     [FULL  STORY]

A gourmet Mid-Autumn Festival

The China Post
Date: September 5, 2016
By: Angela Chu and Chris Chang ,Special to the China Post

TAIPEI, Taiwan — The Mid-Autumn Festival, also known as Moon Festival, is celebrated on the 15th

Imperial Hotel's Moon Tasting gift set

Imperial Hotel’s Moon Tasting gift set

day of the eighth lunar month. This marks the day of the autumnal equinox, when the moon is at its fullest and brightest.

The popular festival is a time to admire the beauty of the full moon and enjoy the splendor of the great outdoors.

The festival, which this year falls on Sept. 15, sees family and friends get together and participate in traditional activities. They include eating moon cakes, which symbolize unity and togetherness; strolling under the full moon; and eating pomelos, as the fruit’s Chinese name is a homonym of “care and protection.”

The festival has a long history dating back to ancient China, although accounts differ as to its exact origin.

In Taiwan, the most popular version is an account of Hou Yi and his wife, Chang E — although the exact details vary.     [FULL  STORY]

Food Culture in Taiwan [VIDEO]

Taiwan is a food paradise. Multiple cultures, abundant produce and the people’s passion for food combine to make Taiwanese cuisine a major attraction for locals and visitors alike. This video gives viewers a taste of the cuisine available in Taiwan, as well as the pluralistic society that has brought them together. Sit back and try not to let your mouth water too.     [SOURCE]

Culinary architects Bompas & Parr hold creative cuisine exhibition in Taipei

Taiwan News
Date: 2016-07-17
By: Maggie Huang, Taiwan News, Staff Reporter

Sausage ice cream made from sausage meat with lard and peanuts, topped with crispy pig skin plate

The London-based culinary architects Bompas & Parr (Sam Bompas and Harry Parr) are holding a creative cuisine exhibition, reviving the image of sausage, the Taiwanese traditional food that can be found at night markets across Taiwan, at the Taiwan Design Center in Taipei from July 16 to August 13.

The exhibition “Sausage Social” features the world’s first sausage-focus menu, inviting participants to experience different perspectives in Taiwanese and England’s street food as well as their shared passion and inspiration.

Sausage ice cream made from sausage meat with lard and peanuts, topped with crispy pig skin plate

According to Sam and Harry, sausage has existed in all global cultures, presenting a perfect tool for innovation, design, and culinary experience. To exemplify their point, the duo crafted 10 dishes, turning the sausage into different types of food, which include desserts, soup, and even drink.

Meat shot, combining the Western ‘Shots’ culture and Shaohsing rice wine

The notable creative cuisine includes Meat Shots, which makes roasted bacon into a small wineglass to hold Shaosing rice wine and can be consumed with the wine, and the sausage ice cream made from sausage meat with lard, to bring out a whole new experience of a sausage meal.     [FULL  STORY]

Fresh & Aged unveils flavorful steaks

The China Post
Date: July 18, 2016
By Coral H. Wang, Jill Huang and Tiffany Ma, Special to The China Post

A steakhouse is, in many cases, the go-to venue for anyone who desires an authentic dining

Chef Chen Chong-Guang and his team have conquered the challenge of Taiwan's humid environment in the process of dry-aged beef. (Courtesy of Fresh & Aged Italian Steak House)

Chef Chen Chong-Guang and his team have conquered the challenge of Taiwan’s humid environment in the process of dry-aged beef. (Courtesy of Fresh & Aged Italian Steak House)

experience. Yet among all the steakhouses scattered around the country, how can one differentiate itself from the others? Chef Chen Chong-Guang (陳重光), father of dry-aged steak in Taiwan, brings a luxurious and sensational option to the local culinary scene with Fresh & Aged Italian Steak House (美福西餐廳).

Located in Neihu District, the upscale restaurant is the leading steakhouse utilizing the dry-aged method in Taiwan, for the humid environment of the island is not suitable for dry-aging beef. However, with 10 years of experience, Chef Chen has managed to surmount environmental obstacles, presenting Taiwanese gourmands with exquisite 100-day dry-aged beef. “We use U.S. prime beef as our ingredient, with the help of customized equipment to compensate for the environmental barriers. The more days dry-aged beef sits, the more flavorful it becomes,” Chen said.

What is so special about dry-aged beef, you may ask. Through the method of dry-aging, the beef is not only kept juicy but also preserved with optimal tenderness. Roasted at a high temperature, the steak’s exterior becomes deliciously crispy. There is no better dish than Fresh & Aged’s dry-aged steak. Let your knife gently slice through a cut of the steak, watch the savory juice ooze out of the tender flesh and feel your mouth water.    [FULL  STORY]

Taipei publishes free bilingual menu of 100 foods

Taiwan News
Date: 2016-06-27
By: Taiwan News, Staff Writer

There are a great many delicious snacks in Taiwan, and foreign visitors often have trouble 6765117ordering them at a Taiwanese restaurant, eatery or night market food stand. But don’t worry about it now because Taipei City’s Department of Information and Tourism has published a free online Chinese-English “bilingual menu of one hundred foods” to help foreigners and local food providers communicate with each other.

Visiting night markets is included in the itineraries of most foreigners travelling to Taiwan, but many of them cannot read Chinese menus, and most local waiters don’t know how to explain their dishes in English, causing a great deal of inconvenience. Even though some restaurants and eateries have their own Chinese-English menus, the translations differ from one store to another and differ from foreigners’ understanding, which makes the communication difficult.

Chien Yu-yen, Taipei Department of Information and Tourism commissioner, said that the publication of the menu is part of the preparation for the Summer Universiade in Taipei next year, when athletes and tourists from around the world will flock to the city. Therefore, the department has published an online Chinese-English menu of more than 100 popular local snacks and dishes with a photo for each item, and the downloading is free, Chien said.     [FULL  STORY]