As the Lunar New Year approaches, Chiayi County consumer protection officers conducted a joint inspection, with a non-compliance rate of 0.5%

As the Lunar New Year approaches, Chiayi County is safeguarding food safety for county residents so that people can eat with peace of mind. On the 8th, consumer protection officers led personnel from the Health Bureau's ethics office and inspectors to traditional markets, hypermarkets and other sales venues to inspect Lunar New Year food labeling and the sources of food sold. The items checked included: cured meat and sausages, dried aquatic products, rice cake products, pickled vegetables, dried tofu, shiitake mushrooms, melon seeds, peanuts, dried shrimp, candied fruit, candy, and more.

The Health Bureau inspected a total of 775 items, of which 4 had labeling non-compliance (non-compliance rate 0.5%). Tracing found that all their sources were in other counties and cities, and the cases will be transferred to the competent health bureaus for follow-up handling. The Health Bureau pointed out that food labeling should comply with the provisions of the Act Governing Food Safety and Sanitation. If labeling is not done in accordance with regulations, in addition to removal from shelves, recall and correction, a maximum fine of 3 million yuan may be imposed.

Acting Director-General of the Health Bureau Tsai Shu-chen reminded consumers that when purchasing Lunar New Year foods such as pickled items, dried goods and aquatic products, they should choose foods close to their natural color and should not select those with overly bright or overly white colors. They should pay attention to whether packaged foods have complete labeling. When selecting bulk Lunar New Year goods such as shredded squid, beef jerky and candy, in addition to checking whether they are clean and dry, they should also pay attention to whether products are sold with covers and whether vendors wear gloves or use clean utensils to handle them, to prevent food from being contaminated by pests, dust, droplets or bacteria.

Acting Director-General Tsai Shu-chen stated that after food is opened, it should be eaten as soon as possible, and the storage method recommended on the product packaging should be followed, or an appropriate storage temperature and method should be chosen according to the characteristics of the food itself. Attention should also be paid to whether the sales venue environment is clean and hygienic, and whether products are properly frozen or refrigerated for storage according to their labels when sold.