Lee Min-hsiung, the academic commissioned by the Ministry of Health and Welfare to review the report, actually also serves as a supervisor and consultant at Fweixiang.

The Fwusow company admitted yesterday that it had blended cottonseed oil into 24 oil products, and had also added peanut flavoring to its peanut blend oil. But what raises suspicion is that the Ministry of Health and Welfare last year commissioned Meiho University of Science and Technology to study the labeling of blended oils on the market, and one of the review committee members, Li Min-hsiung, an emeritus professor in the Department of Agricultural Chemistry at Taiwan University, also served as a supervisor and R&D director at Fwusow.

Lawyer Chang Chih-kang sharply criticized this, saying it involves a conflict of interest and that the government should conduct a full investigation, "so that consumers do not suspect that industry, government and academia have joined forces to cover up the truth about food additives!" Minister of Health and Welfare Chiu Wen-ta said yesterday that he would look deeply into the truth of the controversy involving Li Min-hsiung's role.

Beginning in 2008, Li Min-hsiung, with his expertise in food technology, microbial utilization and oil chemistry, was recruited by Fwusow head Chen Wen-nan, who provided research funding, to serve as R&D director and company supervisor and to conduct research and development on sesame biotech materials, developing for Fwusow materials such as sesamin, high-sesamin sesame oil and sesame peptides, among which "sesame peptides" have been a flagship product for Fwusow in recent years.

Fwusow boss: R&D head suggested adding cottonseed oil

After being released on bail yesterday afternoon, Chen Wen-nan went to the GreTai Securities Market to hold a press conference, stressing that he had been in Africa when the incident occurred, that the spokesperson had gotten the materials wrong, that this was a serious oversight but not a malicious lie, and that the company would do its best to recall the products. As for the addition of cottonseed oil, Chen Wen-nan said the company began importing cottonseed oil in July 2011, "and it was only decided to add it on the recommendation of the R&D head; moreover, in the United States, cottonseed oil is the third-largest edible oil, so there is no safety concern."

Lawyer questions: hard to avoid suspicion

Chang Chih-kang stressed that Li Min-hsiung, while serving as a supervisor of Fwusow, also took part as a scholar in reviewing research reports and establishing oil testing methods, and might have altered experimental procedures to help his own company evade testing, or after learning of the latest testing methods might have reported them back to Fwusow, enabling the company to change its formulas in advance and likewise avoid inspection. "Although this cannot be used to accuse them of definite improper transfers of benefits, it does indeed give rise to suspicion and is highly inappropriate!"

Chiu Wen-ta said that if similar conflicts of interest are found in the future, they will all be strictly excluded. As for Li Min-hsiung simultaneously serving as a supervisor and consultant for Fwusow, Chiu Wen-ta said he would look into it further.

Food Research Institute absolutely forbids ethical problems

Regarding the controversy over Li Min-hsiung's role, senior researcher Chu Yen-hua of the Food Industry Research and Development Institute said: "Such behavior is indeed inappropriate." She said that if an internal professional leaks information, "it would be very easy for Fwusow to evade inspection technically." Researchers crossing into industry while also serving as government project review committee members involves an "ethical problem," and she has always forbidden colleagues at the institute from engaging in such behavior. The Department of Agricultural Chemistry at Taiwan University, to which Li Min-hsiung belongs, declined to make any response yesterday.