90% of oil products suspected of being counterfeit; Changhua County Health Bureau orders Datong Food Factory to halt all operations

At Datong Food Factory, 90% of the oil products were adulterated. Besides olive oil being mixed with other oils, the chili oil was even made entirely from a blend of colorants and flavorings. The Changhua County Health Bureau, together with the Changhua District Prosecutors Office, investigated the case of Datong Changji Food Factory Co., Ltd. on suspicion of manufacturing and selling adulterated "100% Premium Olive Oil." The inspection found that in addition to the non-compliant products seized in the previous two days, the actual contents of the "Datong Chili Oil" product did not match its labeling, and the outer packaging of "Datong Pure 100% Camellia Oil" and "Datong 100% Safflower Seed Oil" claimed 100%, while the actual ingredients were all mixed with other oils and fats. The Health Bureau sealed 5 product items on the spot, totaling 953 bottles (1833.5 liters).

The Health Bureau stated that to date, a total of 80 non-compliant products from the company have been seized, and 64 stock products have been sealed, totaling 24,070 bottles (39574.85 liters). The Health Bureau has ordered the company's oil production line to halt operations entirely, and to remove and recall all non-compliant products across the board.

Datong has been repeatedly caught in recent days making fake olive oil with copper chlorophyll, and peanut oil, grapeseed oil, sunflower oil, sesame oil, chili oil, camellia oil and safflower seed oil all involved in oil adulteration, or mixing low-priced inferior oil with high-priced oil products for sale. The Changhua County Health Bureau issued strong penalties, ordering a halt to operations and issuing fines of 28.2 million yuan under a "one item, one fine" approach, the highest fine amount in the history of food safety.

In addition to oil products, the soy sauce produced by the company also drew the attention of the Changhua Health Bureau, and may be included in the scope of investigation in the future.