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Taiwanese Tofu Dried Bean Curd Scandal

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The "Taiwanese Tofu Dried Bean Curd Scandal" refers to a food safety crisis that erupted in Taiwan in December 2014, when it was discovered that tofu, tofu skin, and fried tofu, among other soy products, contained the carcinogenic substance methyl yellow. The issue later extended to affect certain noodle soup oil packets. On January 30, 2015, tests revealed the presence of methyl yellow residues in "Five-Spice Dried Bean Curd" from Dechang Foods and "Wood Dried Tofu" from Huixiang Foods.[1][2][3][4][5][6]

Background

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Earlier in December 1987, soy products from Daxi, Taoyuan already experienced a series of contamination incidents, with contaminations such as preservatives, bleaching agents, aflatoxin, and methyl yellow. The affected products were pulled from shelves and destroyed. In response, the government amended regulations to ban the use of methyl yellow and offered food coloring (No. 4 and No. 5) as a replacement following extensive research.[7][8]

On June 7, 2013, Taipei authorities discovered the industrial dye methyl yellow in tofu used for traditional offerings sold by the century-old Yu Xie Feng Tofu Factory. It was later discovered the Ximending-based Yi Liang Food Company was selling industrial dye methyl yellow as a substitute for food-grade colorants. Yi Liang Foods had supplied this adulterated dye to Yu Xie Feng Tofu Factory, and also to several noodles manufacturers. Shipments of this adulterated tofu dye were sent out in 2006, 2010, and again in July and August of 2012.[9][10]

Lin Chieh-liang, the Director of the Clinical Toxicology Department at Linkou Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, pointed out that methyl yellow is an industrial dye. Excessive consumption of methyl yellow can cause liver damage, and long-term consumption will increase the risk of liver cancer. While the adulterated dye might appear similar to those made with legal food-grade colorants (yellow No. 4 and No. 5), it has a distinctive, pungent odor.[11][10]

Incident

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On December 6, 2014, Hong Kong media reported that the well-known "Dechang Dried Bean Curd" from Taichung was found to contain the dye methyl yellow in its "Black Pepper Dried Bean Curd" by the Hong Kong Food and Environmental Hygiene Department's Centre for Food Safety. Dechang Foods reported the issue to health authorities, and on December 7, Taichung City Government's Health Bureau conducted an inspection of the Dechang Foods factory. As a precautionary measure, the affected products were pulled from the shelves in Hong Kong and Taiwan.[12][13][14]

Investigation

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On December 16, 2014, following an in-depth investigation by health authorities, it was revealed that the bean curd skin used by Dechang Foods was purchased from Jiuyuan Enterprise in Changhua County. Furthermore, the emulsifier used to make Jiuyuan Enterprise's bean curd skin was sourced from Qianxin Industrial Co. in Anping District, Tainan. The two owners of Qianxin Industrial Co. were subsequently arrested.[15]

Further inspection found that other products, such as "Pinxiang Shijia" from Yunlin County's Huang Damu Food Company, "Daxi Tofu" from Baohong Enterprises in New Taipei City, and "Yuxiang Tofu" from Yuxiang Foods in Changhua County (which also used Jiuyuan's bean curd skin), were also found to contain methyl yellow. Other companies, however, had no such findings and their products passed the safety checks.[16]

Qianxin Industrial Co. had purchased the yellow powder from Rongmei Chemical Co. in Tainan City, which it added to produce its emulsifier. The product was distributed to 11 wholesalers across six counties and cities, with two wholesalers already suspended operations. According to the Director-General of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Jiang Yumei, Qianxin Industrial Co. had falsified registration, falsified information, and adding unauthorized additives. Under the Food Safety and Sanitation Management Act, the penalties for the former two violations range from $30,000 to $3 million NTD, and for the illegal addition of substances, the penalties range from $60,000 to $50 million NTD, or up to five years of imprisonment with fines up to $8 million NTD.[17]

As of December 17, the FDA reported that Qianxin had shipped at least 25,760 kg of the tofu emulsifier since January 2012. Prosecutors noted that Qianxin's 71-year-old owner, Lu Tianrong, had been selling this emulsifier formula for over 10 years. The Food and Drug Administration further confirmed that by 10 a.m. on the 17th, a total of 36 affected products had been identified.[1]

On the same day, Taichung City Government's Health Bureau reported that several well-known companies in the city, such as Taizhenxiang Foods, Sanjiaxin (Wanyi Dried Bean Curd), Weixin Foods, and Yipinxiang Foods, were also affected.[18] That evening, Miaoli County Government's Health Bureau reported that five vendors in tourist spots and rest stations in Miaoli, Gongguan, Nanzhuang, Tongxiao, and Yuanli had sold tofu products containing methyl yellow. Three of the vendors already sold all 9,000 kg of the affected products, the remaining two vendors had returned 801 kg of their unsold stock.

The next day on December 18, Taiwan Apple Daily reported that tofu, bean curd, and fried tofu products made using Qianxin's emulsifier had already entered traditional markets for sale. Taipei City Government's Health Bureau investigated a downstream vendor of Yuxiang Foods in Changhua County, and discovered they had already shipped products to Canada, however customs information were still being verified.

On the same day, the FDA reported that 23 downstream manufacturers and 73 types of tofu products had been affected. The Changhua County Government's Health Bureau also investigated two companies in their county, Zhonglian Foods Co. and Heizhuyuan Chicken Feet Specialty Store, which had purchased dried bean curd in bulk from Yuxiang Foods in 2014. These products had been pulled from shelves and recovered.[19][20]

Additionally, Changhua County Government's Health Bureau inspected Yuxiang Foods Co., Ltd. and discovered that Wei Li Foods Industrial Co., Ltd. had purchased fried bean curds from Yuxiang that were suspected to contain methyl yellow. These fried bean curds had been used in the production of oil packets for instant noodles, such as those used in zhajiangmian products.[21][20]

On December 19, the FDA reported that the number of affected downstream manufacturers increased to 24, with 115 types of tofu products now involved. However, the Hsinchu County Government's Health Bureau confirmed that three products from Liyi Foods, including Zhiwei Daxi Tofu, were excluded from the list. Additionally, the Taichung City Government's Health Bureau clarified that a mistake had been made regarding products from Riyu Dehang (registered under Hedasheng Co.), which the products were found to be semi-fried bean curd skin, not fried tofu.[22]

On December 25, the FDA released the results of further testing, revealing that Qianxin’s emulsifier contained another industrial dye, diethyl yellow, which has a chemical structure similar to dimethyl yellow. Diethyl yellow has similar toxicity and is typically used for coloring plastics, inks, and other industrial products.[23]

Motivation

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The Taiwan Apple Daily reported that the legitimate yellow food coloring sold by chemical companies costs NT$120 per 25 grams (equivalent to NT$4.8 per gram), while dimethyl yellow costs NT$120 per 30 grams (equivalent to NT$4 per gram). Chenyau Kuan, an assistant professor at Chaoyang University of Technology, explained that while edible food coloring is water-soluble and fades easily, methyl yellow is oil-soluble, making it ideal for coloring various food products. Methyl yellow is much more cost-effective, as only 1% of the amount needed for edible food coloring is required to achieve the same color.[24]

Inspection

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On January 29, 2015, the Taipei City Government's Health Bureau announced the results of a random inspection conducted from December 22 to 25, 2014. They tested 49 samples of tofu products from supermarkets, markets, and food stores, of which 10 tested positive for methyl yellow. The sources of the contaminated products were traced to several companies: Yuxiang Foods Co., Ltd. (5 samples), Tiensu Foods Co., Ltd. (3 samples), Maijun Foods Co., Ltd. (1 sample), and New East Sun Co., Ltd. (1 sample).[25][26]

Additionally, on December 31, 2014, the Taipei City Government's Health Bureau also conducted random testing on tofu products and pickled vegetables. Among 20 samples tested, 1 bean curd and 1 tofu product tested positive for methyl yellow, both of which originated from Taoyuan City. These products were referred to Taoyuan City Government's Health Bureau for further investigation and penalties.[27][25]

Commentary

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In issue 940 of Business Today, several points were raised regarding the food safety warning in Taiwan:[3]

  1. Selective Inspection: Legislator Tien Chiu-chin stated, "This is similar to how people who want to speed are aware of where speed traps are on the highway. Those who want to break the rules will always choose areas that are less frequently checked."
  2. Ignoring the Long-standing Problem of Toxins: Ye Yanbo, Director of the Changhua County Health Bureau, commented, "Methyl yellow, also known as 'butter yellow', has been used since the Japanese colonial era to dye other foods..." The Hong Kong Centre for Food Safety also pointed out that since it has been used to dye other foods, inspections should take a broader approach and consider all potential risks.[28]
  3. Active Registration System Only for Single-Ingredient Additives: Taiwan's current food additive registration system only requires inspection before registration for single-ingredient additives. For compound additives, businesses are only required to self-register without any inspection, allowing them to be sold without verification.

Court ruling

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On July 30, 2015, the Changhua District Court in Taiwan sentenced the owners of Qianxin Industrial Co., Ltd., Lu Tianrong and his son Lu Jiaxian, to prison terms of 7 and 9 years respectively. Each was also fined NT$15 million, and their illicit earnings of NT$25.2 million were confiscated.[29]

Lu Tianrong and Lu Jiaxian both appealed their initial sentences, which then Taiwan High Court Taichung Branch Court reduced Lu Tianrong's sentence to 3 years and a NT$3 million fine, and Lu Jiaxian's sentence to 4 years and a NT$6 million fine. They both appealed their sentences again, but were rejected by the Supreme Court.[30]

References

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  1. ^ a b Chen, Liting. "全台都淪陷！ 食藥署公布36毒豆乾" [Taiwan is Fully Affected! The Food and Drug Administration Releases List of 36 Toxic Tofu Products]. UDN (in Chinese).
  2. ^ "全台都淪陷！ 食藥署公布36毒豆乾" [Taiwan is Fully Affected! The Food and Drug Administration Releases List of 36 Toxic Tofu Products]. cw.com.tw (in Chinese). 2019-12-07. Retrieved 2024-12-15.
  3. ^ a b "三個把關漏洞 讓台灣食安頻ＮＧ" [Three Oversight Loopholes Leading to Frequent Food Safety Failures in Taiwan]. web.archive.org (in Chinese). 2019-09-24. Retrieved 2024-12-15.
  4. ^ "毒豆乾案起訴求重刑" [Prosecution Seeks Harsh Penalties in Poisonous Tofu Case]. web.archive.org (in Chinese). 2014-12-31. Retrieved 2024-12-15.
  5. ^ Peng, Jingyou (2016-03-04). "政院食品雲升級啟動 強化食安" [Executive Yuan Launches Upgraded Food Cloud to Enhance Food Safety]. web.archive.org (in Chinese). Retrieved 2024-12-15.
  6. ^ Lin, Jin (2019-12-07). "又見毒豆乾！德昌「五香豆乾」被驗出含二甲基黃" [Toxic Tofu Strikes Again! Dechang's 'Five-Spice Tofu' Found to Contain Dimethyl Yellow]. web.archive.org (in Chinese). Retrieved 2024-12-15.
  7. ^ Daxi Tofu Contaminated with Toxins "民生報", 维基百科，自由的百科全书 (in Chinese), 2024-11-24, retrieved 2024-12-15
  8. ^ Tofu Contamination Scandal Causes Decline in Daxi Tourism Business"大成報", 维基百科，自由的百科全书 (in Chinese), 2024-07-28, retrieved 2024-12-15
  9. ^ "台黑心豆干 驚爆使用油漆染料" [Taiwan's Tainted Tofu Scandal: Paint Dye Found in Production]. web.archive.org (in Chinese). 2019-06-06. Retrieved 2024-12-15.
  10. ^ a b Wang, Shengli (2013-06-07). "油漆染料製黑心豆干 已賣了7年" [Blackhearted Tofu Made with Paint Dye Sold for 7 Years] (in Chinese).
  11. ^ Hong, Suqing (2014-12-17). "皂黃、己二烯酸鉀小檔案" [Profiles of Auramine O and Potassium Sorbate]. web.archive.org (in Chinese). Retrieved 2024-12-15.
  12. ^ Chen, Shufen (2016-03-04). "港驗問題豆乾 德昌：將追上游" [Hong Kong Detects Problematic Dried Tofu, Dechang: Will Investigate Upstream]. web.archive.org (in Chinese). Retrieved 2024-12-15.
  13. ^ Xiu, Ruiying. "德昌豆干 檢驗證實使用工業染料" [Dechang Dried Tofu Tested Positive for Industrial Dye]. BREAKINGNEWS (in Chinese).
  14. ^ "德昌豆乾待檢驗 業者預防性下架" [Dechang Dried Tofu Pending Test Results, Manufacturer Takes Preventive Measures by Pulling Products from Shelves]. CNA (in Chinese). 2016-03-05. Retrieved 2024-12-15.
  15. ^ "德昌豆乾染禁劑 乳化劑出包" [Dechang Dried Tofu Contaminated with Banned Chemicals, Emulsifier Issues]. CNA (in Chinese). 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2024-12-15.
  16. ^ Xie, Wenhua (2018-12-14). "德昌、黃大目等4家豆乾驗出恐致癌二甲基黃" [Dechang, Huang Damu, and 4 Other Tofu Brands Tested Positive for Cancer-Causing Dimethyl Yellow]. LTN (in Chinese). Retrieved 2024-12-15.
  17. ^ Li, Yiting. "驗出工業染料…黑心豆乾 全台幾淪陷" [Industrial Dye Detected... Contaminated Tofu Brands Spread Across Taiwan]. UDN (in Chinese).
  18. ^ Chen, Shufen (2014-12-17). "台中追問題豆乾 多家業者中標" [Taichung Investigates Problematic Tofu, Multiple Businesses Affected]. CNA (in Chinese). Archived from the original on 2014-12-17. Retrieved 2014-12-17.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  19. ^ Cai, Minghua (2016-03-04). "毒豆乾風暴擴大　受波及業者增為23家" [Toxic Tofu Scandal Expands, Affected Businesses Increase to 23]. web.archive.org (in Chinese). Retrieved 2024-12-15.
  20. ^ a b Zhan, Zhiyuan (2016-04-07). "追致癌油皮　維力炸醬麵、大乾麵中了" [Tracking Carcinogenic Oil Skin: Wei Li Fried Noodles and Large Noodles Affected]. web.archive.org (in Chinese). Retrieved 2024-12-15.
  21. ^ Bo, Yang (2014-12-18). "疑染二甲基黃 維力盼政府加強把關" [Suspected Contamination with Dimethyl Yellow – Wei Li Hopes the Government Will Strengthen Oversight]. CNA (in Chinese). Retrieved 2024-12-15.
  22. ^ "違法使用二甲基黃事件之查核進度說明" [Progress Report on the Investigation of the Illegal Use of Dimethyl Yellow]. FDA (in Chinese). 2019-12-07. Retrieved 2024-12-15.
  23. ^ "扯!黑心豆乾爆新毒物 首見添二乙基黃　二乙基黃用於汽柴油塑膠 吃多恐致癌　前所未見!食品摻二乙基黃 疑全球首例" [Scandal! New Toxic Substance Found in Black-hearted Tofu – Dimethyl Yellow Now Added with Diethyl Yellow. Diethyl Yellow, Used in Diesel and Plastics, May Cause Cancer if Consumed in Large Quantities. This Could Be the First Case of Diethyl Yellow in Food Globally!]. TTV (in Chinese). 2014-12-25. Retrieved 2024-12-15.
  24. ^ "貪便宜 毒劑染豆乾 用量僅需1％" [Cheap Thrills: Toxic Dye Contaminates Tofu, Only 1% Needed for Effect]. appledaily (in Chinese). 2014-12-17. Retrieved 2024-12-15.
  25. ^ a b "臺北市衛生局持續監督違法添加二甲基黃相關產品" [Taipei City Health Bureau Continues to Monitor Products Contaminated with Illegal Addition of Dimethyl Yellow]. health.gov.tw (in Chinese). 2015-01-01. Retrieved 2024-12-15.
  26. ^ Li, Yuechun (2016-03-24). "再爆毒豆干！新東陽香辣豆干又驗出「二甲基黃」" [Another Toxic Tofu Incident! Shin Dong Yang Spicy Tofu Found to Contain "Dimethyl Yellow"]. web.archive.org (in Chinese). Retrieved 2024-12-15.
  27. ^ "臺北市衛生局持續監督違法添加二甲基黃相關產品". web.archive.org. 2015-01-01. Retrieved 2024-12-15.
  28. ^ Zheng, Mianmian (2014-12-26). "食物添加奶油黃 賣相較好卻易罹肝癌" [Food Additive Butter Yellow: Better Appearance but Increases Risk of Liver Cancer]. web.archive.org (in Chinese). Retrieved 2024-12-15.
  29. ^ 吳, 哲豪 (2015-07-30). "毒豆干案 芊鑫負責人父子遭判刑 | 社會 | 重點新聞". 中央社 CNA (in Chinese). Archived from the original on 2016-03-05. Retrieved 2016-03-05.
  30. ^ 王, 揚宇 (2017-06-19). "毒豆干案 芊鑫負責人父子判刑定讞 | 社會". 中央社 CNA (in Chinese). Archived from the original on 2019-05-25. Retrieved 2019-05-25.
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