Large-scale illegal oil products affect schoolchildren at 133 schools, 3 group meal vendors listed

Dadong salad oil has flowed into elementary and junior high school nutritional lunches across Taiwan. According to Ministry of Education statistics, as of 4 p.m. today, a total of 11 counties and cities and 133 schools across Taiwan have used Dadong oil products. Among the 12 listed schools in New Taipei City, 10 have outsourced to two group meal providers, namely "Shishang Zhongchu Co., Ltd." and "First Lunch Box Co., Ltd."

3 group meal providers used Dadong oil products to supply meals to schools

"Shishang Zhongchu" Manager Xiao protested his innocence, saying that Dadong salad oil was confirmed to have problems on the 21st, but the company had requested a return after the Dadong olive oil incident. "We chose oil guaranteed by GMP and honestly logged the data, yet now we are being hounded. It feels awful." He also hinted that it was impossible that his company was the only group meal provider in all of New Taipei City using Dadong oil products, and expressed hope that the competent authorities could do a good job of screening. The other company using Dadong salad oil, First Lunch Box, had once supplied lunch boxes for the Taipei City Games. As of the reporter's deadline, the company had not answered the phone.

A total of 26 schools in Miaoli County were affected, the highest among all counties and cities

After olive oil, grapeseed oil, and sunflower oil, even Dadong's low-priced salad oil was exposed as being adulterated with 40% cottonseed oil. According to Ministry of Education statistics, a total of 11 counties and cities, 133 elementary and junior high schools, and 16 universities across Taiwan used Dadong oil products, namely 26 schools in Miaoli County, 21 schools in Tainan City, 16 schools in Hsinchu County, 15 schools in Changhua County, 12 schools in Chiayi County, 10 schools in Nantou County, 8 schools in Taichung City, 7 schools in Pingtung County, 3 schools in Chiayi City, 12 schools in New Taipei City, and 2 schools in Penghu County.

The Ministry of Education pointed out that most of those using Dadong oil products were school kitchens, accounting for 121 schools; 2 group meal providers in New Taipei City used Dadong oil products, supplying 10 schools; one group meal provider in Pingtung County used them, supplying 2 schools.

Ministry of Education insists on not disclosing the list of schools and group meal providers

Wang Chunquan, director of the Department of Comprehensive Planning of the Ministry of Education, insisted on not disclosing the list of schools and group meal providers using Dadong oil products. "Dadong oil products comply with GMP regulations. It is not the schools' fault to use Dadong oil products. Why should the school list be published?" He believes that the competent authorities should strictly screen GMP. If local governments voluntarily publish the list of schools using Dadong oil, he respects the local governments' decisions.

New Taipei City and Pingtung County were also tight-lipped about the group meal providers using Dadong oil products. But reporters from News Market learned that the two group meal providers supplying nutritional lunches to New Taipei City schools are: Taipei City group meal vendor "First Lunch Box Co., Ltd." (supplying Jisui Junior High School, Zhonghe Junior High School, Zhanghe Junior High School, and Ziqiang Junior High School); and New Taipei City group meal vendor "Shishang Zhongchu Co., Ltd." (supplying Changfu Elementary School, Yingge Elementary School, Fengming Elementary School, Yongji Elementary School, Touqian Junior High School, and Danfeng High School).

"Shishang Zhongchu" Manager Xiao felt quite helpless about being caught up in this controversy. He said the company had long purchased salad oil from another major manufacturer, Formosa, and only used Dadong oil products for the first time after prices rose in September; Dadong salad oil was banned from use only yesterday, but as early as when the olive oil adulteration broke out, they had already decided to return the salad oil to Dadong. Of the 50 barrels of 18-liter oil purchased in September, more than 30 barrels were returned in the early hours of the 18th.

Shishang Zhongchu: We are probably not the only group meal provider using Dadong oil products

Manager Xiao said that generally it is high-priced olive oil and peanut oil that are adulterated, and he never expected that even salad oil would have problems. Dadong is an old brand of more than 30 years, well known in the industry, and also holds GMP certification. "If it were a new brand on low-price promotion, and the company used it, then that would be our fault, but it's like TOYOTA or HONDA engines. Who would have thought they had problems?" He said that he is also a parent, and his child studies in New Taipei City. It was impossible that he would deliberately purchase inferior salad oil for schoolchildren to eat.

Manager Xiao said that among the dozens of group meal providers in all of New Taipei City, it was impossible that only he used Dadong oil. He revealed that on Wednesday he still had to attend a meeting at a school he supplied meals to. A school had already asked his company for compensation, but his company is also a victim. He had already prepared the invoices and would definitely seek compensation from Dadong. He strongly criticized the government for failing to screen properly, and hoped that future criminal penalties could be increased, preferably with fines of a thousand or ten thousand times the unjust gains, and with sentences not eligible for parole.

Lin Guanzhen, section chief of the Food and Drug Administration of the New Taipei City Health Bureau, said that all group meal providers within its jurisdiction had been fully inspected, and no other manufacturers were found to be using Dadong company oil products. At present, group meal providers are inspected about once a month, but most inspections only target environmental hygiene and ingredients, with no special checks on oil products. This will be included in future inspection items.

No response from First Lunch Box; Taipei City Health Bureau: already returned

The other manufacturer, "First Lunch Box Co., Ltd.", is well known in Taipei City and had once supplied lunch boxes for the Taipei City Games. Qiu Xiuyi, director of the Food and Drug Division of the Taipei City Health Bureau, said that First Lunch Box used Dadong and another brand of salad oil, and only Dadong oil products were used in the nutritional lunches of New Taipei City schoolchildren; during the inspection last Friday, it was not found to have supplied Taipei City schools, and the group meal company has now also completely replaced Dadong salad oil.

Qiu Xiuyi said that First Lunch Box bought more than a dozen barrels of salad oil from Dadong company, and last Friday, it returned the remaining 4 barrels. She said that many manufacturers are accustomed to buying different brands of salad oil to reduce risk. Dadong was only 10 yuan cheaper than the other brand, so manufacturers probably did not do it for price considerations. As of the deadline, reporters called First Lunch Box several times, but no one answered the phone.

The remaining published list of schools using Dadong company oil products is as follows:

New Taipei City: 12 schools, Changfu, Yingge, Fengming, Yongji, and Hemei Elementary Schools; Touqian, Jisui, Zhonghe, Zhanghe Junior High Schools, and Ziqiang Junior High School; Danfeng and Shuangxi High Schools.
Taichung City: 8 schools used Dadong's sesame oil and fragrant oil, namely Liming Junior High School, Siwei Elementary School, Ziyou Elementary School and Wushi Branch, Xinshe Elementary School, Jiude Elementary School, Wuguang Elementary School and Dayuan Elementary School.
Chiayi County: 12 schools, Liujia and Xikou Junior High Schools; Heshan, Yiren, Songshan, Andong, Xikou, Danan, Taixing, Xinpi, Xiding, and Zhongxing Elementary Schools.
Chiayi City: 3 schools, Chongwen and Zhihang Elementary Schools and Nanxing Junior High School.