Food

Live and let fry

Celebrity chef Huang Ching-he’s new TV series sees her visiting 70 eateries ranging from street stalls to Michelin-starred restaurants

Taipei Times
Date: Mar 02, 2016
By: Tony Phillips / Contributing reporter in London

Taiwan-born celebrity chef Huang Ching-he (黃靜億) has spent most of her life

Huang Ching-he watches chef Cheng Kun-yin cook three-cup chicken at Shin Yeh Restaurant in Taipei. Photo courtesy of Ching’s Amazing Asia, Food Network UK

Huang Ching-he watches chef Cheng Kun-yin cook three-cup chicken at Shin Yeh Restaurant in Taipei. Photo courtesy of Ching’s Amazing Asia, Food Network UK

in the UK but has never forgotten her roots, with the nation’s capital city featuring prominently in her new TV series Ching’s Amazing Asia (黃靜億的亞洲佳餚).

In addition to Taipei, the program showcases the food scene in Hong Kong, Macau, Okinawa and Tokyo. It currently airs every Monday on the Asia Food Channel.
Huang, who has been nominated for a daytime Emmy and recently received an award from the Taiwan Tourism Bureau for the series, says the program was a dream come true.

“I really wanted to celebrate the chefs in Asia and Asian cuisine and take people on a tour so they can see with their own eyes the beauty of the signature dishes of the chefs and really kick open the kitchen doors,” Huang says.     [FULL  STORY]

Le Cordon Bleu could provide culinary program in Taiwan soon

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2016/02/23
By: Tseng Ying-yu, Chen Chi-fong and Lilian Wu

Taipei, Feb. 23 (CNA) A long-stalled cooperation plan between a local school

Education Minister Wu Se-hwa (right) visits a Le Cordon Bleu culinary arts center at National Kaohsiung University of Hospitality and Tourism. CNA file photo

Education Minister Wu Se-hwa (right) visits a Le Cordon Bleu culinary arts center at National Kaohsiung University of Hospitality and Tourism. CNA file photo

and the prestigious Le Cordon Bleu, the largest network of culinary and hospitality schools in the world, might finally get off the ground after a Taiwanese official said Tuesday that the necessary procedures will be completed soon.

Labor Minister Chen Hsiung-wen (陳雄文) said the ministry is discussing the matter with the Ministry of Education and that administrative procedures should be completed next week.

Chen made the remarks at a legislative hearing amid reports that a cooperation plan between Le Cordon Bleu and National Kaohsiung University of Hospitality and Tourism five years ago still has not gotten off the ground.

Addressing concerns by Legislator Ko Chih-en (柯志恩) of the Kuomintang, Chen said the program, in the form of a short-term cram school, fell victim to the nation’s regulations that set limits on short-term cram schools to open language courses in an effort to prevent abuse by diploma mills.     [FULL  STORY]

Taiwan Bans Junk Food Marketing To Kids

China Topix
Date: Jan 31, 2016
By: Mia Ren

Promoting junk foods in Taiwan is no longer allowed, the Food and

Authorities in Taiwan are limiting the advertisement of junk foods during children shows to cut down the rate of obesity among children in the country.(Photo : Photo by Christopher Jue/Getty Images) Read more: http://www.chinatopix.com/articles/75899/20160131/taiwan-bans-junk-food-marketing-to-kids.htm#ixzz3ysnLevW1

Authorities in Taiwan are limiting the advertisement of junk foods during children shows to cut down the rate of obesity among children in the country.(Photo : Photo by Christopher Jue/Getty Images)
Read more: http://www.chinatopix.com/articles/75899/20160131/taiwan-bans-junk-food-marketing-to-kids.htm#ixzz3ysnLevW1

Drug Administration said.

The Act Governing Food Safety and Sanitation says that snacks, candies, beverages, frozen treats, and fast-food with trans fat, saturated fat, sodium, or added sugar that exceed regulation standards will be covered.

Trans fat should not be more than 30 percent of the total daily calorie intake, saturated fat should not exceed 10 percent, sodium not more than 400mg per serving, and added sugar should not be more than 10 percent.

Effective on January 1, advertisements on children’s channels, including those that offer free toys, are prohibited to broadcast between 5 pm to 9 pm.

“Advertising of food products considered unhealthy for children are allowed to be aired in time slots when children are less likely to be watching television or on other channels, such as news channels, less often watched by children alone,” said FDA spokesperson Chih Lan-hui.     [FULL  STORY]

Taiwan rolls out rural relief measures for cold snap

Taiwan Today
Date: January 26, 2016

A special task force coordinating rural relief measures in the wake of Taiwan’s

A strawberry field in northern Taiwan’s Miaoli County is covered in snow as a result of the Jan. 23-25 cold front that gripped the nation. (CNA)

A strawberry field in northern Taiwan’s Miaoli County is covered in snow as a result of the Jan. 23-25 cold front that gripped the nation. (CNA)

recent cold snap was established Jan. 25 during a special ROC Presidential Office meeting in Taipei City.

Headed by the Council of Agriculture, the group will handle the central government’s emergency response and keep abreast of the latest developments. It also aims to get farmers back on their feet as soon as possible, while providing financial subsidies on a case-by-case basis.

The meeting was called by President Ma Ying-jeou and attended by acting Premier Chang San-cheng and other key Cabinet officials.

COA statistics pegged overall agricultural damage caused by the Jan. 23-25 cold front at NT$132.2 million (US$3.9 million). Tainan City bore the brunt of the blow, sustaining losses of nearly NT$81.4 million in local aquaculture.

COA Deputy Minister Sha Chih-yi said the council is identifying cold snap-hit areas around Taiwan and preparing to release relief funds. “Eligible cities and counties must first undertake damage assessments before submitting applications.     [FULL  STORY]

High sulfur dioxide levels found in seafood

Taiwan News
Date: 2016-01-26
By: Matthew Strong, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – Excessive levels of sulfur dioxide and other restricted

(Photo courtesy of Food and Drug Administration)

(Photo courtesy of Food and Drug Administration)

chemical substances were found in seafood sold at major supermarket chains, reports said Tuesday.

A total of 12 items were named in a report published by the Food and Drug Administration Tuesday. The government body inspected a total of 231 products at 199 stores, leading it to say that 94.81 percent of the reviewed items showed no problems.

A total of eight items contained levels of sulfur dioxide, used as a preservative, above the legal maximum of 0.1 kilogram per gram, while three items included completely banned animal drugs and one product was found to hold both sulfur dioxide and formaldehyde.

The sites where the problematic seafood was found included both market stalls as well as RT-Mart hypermarkets in Taipei City’s Neihu District, Taoyuan’s Bade District and in Taichung, and a Carrefour supermarket in Taichung City.     [FULL  STORY]

Wholesale prices of fresh vegetables up by 13%: TAPM

Taiwan News
Date: 2016-01-24
By: Ko Lin, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

Fresh vegetable prices in Taipei have gone up by 13 percent as a result of 6731005the cold weather blanketing the island, the Taipei Agricultural Products Marketing Co (TAPM) revealed Sunday.

The TAPM revealed that fruit and vegetable wholesalers have purchased a total of 1,565 metric tons of agriculture produce in the morning, priced at NT$32.9 per kilogram on average, which is 13 percent higher than the average NT$29.1/kg on Saturday.

The company said the rise was due to a depleting stockpile in Taipei as demand for vegetables in restaurants across the city has gone up amid the cold front.     [FULL  STORY]

Government to set legal limits on aluminum levels in food items

Taiwan News
Date: 2016-01-18
By Ko Lin, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

The government will soon revise regulation on the levels of aluminum 6729625residues in food items, with the new amendment to be announced in March this year, Taiwan’s Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced Monday.

In Taiwan, food products that use raising agents have been found to contain excessively high levels of aluminum, it said, adding that consumption of the non-ferrous metal could affect memory.

To date, there are no legal limits on raising agents added to processed food, but simply stating that manufacturers are allowed to use them for “appropriate use.”     [FULL  STORY]

Taiwan Bans GMOs from School Lunches. Mandates GMO Labeling. Throws down Gauntlet on Toxic Foods from USA and Monsanto

Global Research
By: Mike Adams
Date: January 11, 2016

Even as the fascist, corrupt U.S. government and its regulators (FDA and taiwan-mapUSDA) actively conspire with the biotech industry to poison Americans with genetically modified foods, Taiwan has already passed and implemented a nationwide law to protect its citizens from GMOs.

Nearly a full year ago, Taiwan passed ‘Food Act Amendments’ that achieve remarkable food safety milestones the U.S. government refuses to implement, placing Taiwan far ahead of the United States on food safety.      [FULL  STORY]

Taipei food safety autonomous regulations effective Wed.

Taiwan News
Date: 2016-01-11
By: George Liao, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

The Taipei City food safety autonomous regulations was sanctioned by the

Taipei food safety autonomous regulations effective Wed. Central News Agency (2016-01-11 21:57:54)

Taipei food safety autonomous regulations effective Wed. Central News Agency (2016-01-11 21:57:54)

Cabinet on December 24 and will become effective on January 13, Taipei City Government’s Department of Health said Monday.

Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je has been pushing for the passage of the regulations, which will enforce autonomous reporting in 24 hours and removal from shelf and the online stores in 48 hours; the regulation expands application of food material registration to supermarkets, convenient stores, hypermarkets, school lunches and ice cream chain stores.

Taipei Health Department Commissioner Huang Shih-chieh said his department will regularly check and follow-up the implementation of each stipulation in the regulations.

The regulations make participation of the food and beverage sanitation rating system mandatory for food practitioners, who have to regularly check the effective date of each product, make sure information on the package is complete, and separate the storage area and the scrap area, Huang said.     [FULL  STORY]

Tzu Chi launches World Vegetarian Day activities (update)

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2016/01/11
By: Lee Shien-feng, Chiang Chun-liang, Evelyn Kao and S.C. Chang

Taipei, Jan. 11 (CNA) The Buddhist Compassion Relief Tzu Chi Foundation 201601110028t0001kicked off World Vegetarian Day activities Monday aimed at promoting a vegetarian diet, and urged people to endorse the drive by signing its World Vegetarian Day petition.

A delegation of the foundation proposed designating Jan. 11, 2016 as World Vegetarian Day during the 2015 United Nations Climate Change Conference in December and called on conference participants to sign the petition online to endorse the drive, according to meteorology expert and Tzu Chi volunteer Peng Chi-ming (彭啟明).     [FULL  STORY]

Peng said at a ceremony to promote the drive that the world is believed last year to have experienced the highest average temperature in recorded history, while Taiwan could have experienced its second-warmest winter in history, signaling a serious challenge posed by global warming and the need to cut carbon emissions.