KMT CONCERNS: Country-of-origin stickers would not sufficiently inform consumers whether products contain ractopamine, while health and economic impacts are unclear

Taipei Times
Date: Sep 03, 2020
By: Sherry Hsiao / Staff reporter

The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) yesterday raised concerns over the new country-of-origin labels of pork products to be introduced once pork from the US containing ractopamine enters the domestic market next year, while some farmers are planning protests against the policy in Taipei.

President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) on Friday last week announced that Taiwan would ease restrictions on imports from the US of pork containing ractopamine residue and beef from cattle aged 30 months or older, with the new policy expected to take effect from January next year.

At a news conference in Taipei, KMT Culture and Communications Committee chairwoman Alicia Wang (王育敏) said that there might be “loopholes” in the labeling.

Referring to pork fillings for dumplings as an example, she asked whether a product should be labeled as originating in Taiwan or the US, if it contains a both domestic pork and imported pork containing ractopamine.    [FULL  STORY]