Agriculture and Food Agency promotes a domestic coarse grains origin label to distinguish imported products
In recent years, food safety scandals have been incessant. Sesame oil, non-GMO tofu, soy sauce and other products made from locally grown coarse grains became overnight sensations, but reports also emerged of unscrupulous operators importing cheap foreign raw materials and passing them off as domestic goods. To verify authenticity, the Council of Agriculture (COA) has for the first time extended its place-of-origin labeling system to coarse grains, controlling the area and output of applicants and issuing unique serial-numbered stickers. Those interested in applying include the Meinong Farmers' Association for its red beans and soybeans, and the Xigang Farmers' Association for its sesame oil. (Photo above / provided by Meinong District Farmers' Association)
Weng Chen-hsin, chief of the Crop Production Section of the Agriculture and Food Agency, said at a recent forum held by the Taiwan Grain Industry Development Association that Gukeng coffee was once very famous but was not controlled, and that "with a planting area of less than 1 or 2 jia, it was sold all over the world," ruining its reputation. Through the place-of-origin labeling system, more consumers can learn about genuine local agricultural products.
In recent years, the COA has promoted the revitalization of fallow land, and many farmers' associations have contracted with farmers to grow coarse grains, promoting them as organic or grown with safe pesticide use, with demand exceeding supply year after year. Those interested in applying for place-of-origin labels include the Xigang and Shanhua farmers' associations for sesame oil, the Manzhou Farmers' Association for black beans, and the Guanxi Farmers' Association for Mesona chinensis (grass jelly plant). The Meinong Farmers' Association has already begun designing a "Meinong Bean" place-of-origin label, expected to cover red bean, soybean and black bean products.
Stickers controlled by output
The place-of-origin label can be applied for by a farmers' association or township office from the Intellectual Property Office. Assuming an application for one hectare with an output of 1,000 kg, a corresponding number of stickers would be obtained, each bearing a unique serial-number barcode that can be traced back to the producer. Even when a farmers' association contracts with individual small farmers, stickers are issued in batches, for example numbers 0 to 100 issued to Farmer A, and 100 to 200 to Farmer B.
Weng Chen-hsin said that township offices and farmers' associations are the most local and know very clearly how much area each farmer has planted, making it easy to detect any false reporting, and agricultural authorities will also act as a gatekeeper.
However, the place-of-origin label is applied for voluntarily, and penalties can only be imposed when products bearing the label violate regulations; ordinary farmers who claim a place of origin outside their jurisdiction fall outside its scope.
Labels need strict gatekeeping to have credibility
In the past, place-of-origin labels were mostly concentrated on tea and rice, and this is the first time they have been extended to coarse grains. Su Jung-tsan, a Tainan farmer who has long grown coarse grains, said that local coarse grains are fresh and healthy, are highly accepted by consumers, and can be priced at the mid-to-high end. Taiwanese domestic soybeans cost twice as much as foreign ones, and the government should have distinguished places of origin long ago to prevent unscrupulous operators from passing off cheap imported soybeans as domestic ones.
Lu Hsun, chairman of the Taiwan Grain Industry Development Association, said that distinguishing local coarse grains is certainly good, but with so many labels on the market now, consumers cannot tell them apart; there must be sufficient promotion for the labels to be meaningful. More importantly, there must be genuine gatekeeping so that consumers have confidence in the labels.
(This article was funded by the Jianzhen Environmental Education Foundation specifically for personnel expenses, but the foundation does not interfere at all with news topic selection or interview writing, ensuring news independence.)