- Date:2023-11-10
- Department:Evaluation Management Division
The first of the Five Links of Food Safety is jointly managed by various ministries. In 2013, the Executive Yuan convened a meeting of relevant ministries and selected 57 chemicals with food safety risks that had been involved in food safety incidents in Taiwan and neighboring countries. The selected chemicals included three pesticides, which were managed by the Ministry of Agriculture (MOA) in accordance with the Agro-pesticides Management Act, and eight toxic chemical substances, which were managed in accordance with the Toxic and Concerned Chemical Substances Control Act. The remaining chemicals have been assessed by the Toxic and Chemical Substances Bureau of the Environmental Protection Administration (now the Chemicals Administration of the Ministry of Environment, CHA) since 2016. Consequently, 13 chemicals, such as rongalite, were included in the list of toxic chemical substances in 2017, and 7 chemicals, such as sultanas, were included in 2018. Hydrofluoric acid was listed as a hazardous chemical substance of concern later on August 20, 2021. Lead monoxide and four other chemicals were newly listed as concerned chemical substances on January 12, 2023 as well.
The rest of the chemicals with food safety risks are partially managed by the Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA) for the production of front-end industrial chemicals that are not intended to be used in food. Meanwhile, chemicals as food additives and food detergent are managed by the Ministry of Health and Welfare (MOHW) in accordance with the "Act Governing Food Safety and Sanitation". However, the CHA remains continuously aware of this issue.
In order to strengthen the management of chemicals with food safety risks at the source, the CHA has inspected chemical material vendors more than 3,000 times in total with local governments every year since 2017. The four elements of the management include separate storage, clear labeling, usage notification, and flow recording so as to collectively prevent chemicals with food safety risks from flowing into the food chain.
Besides, the CHA regularly invites the MOEA, the MOA and the MOHW to offer suggestions on the management of chemicals with food safety risks. They also discuss the possible abuse and misuse of chemicals in the food chain outside of regulatory control, which may lead to health risks and the reasons for inter-ministerial efforts to strengthen the management.
In addition to chemicals with food safety risks, the control of new psychoactive substances, explosive precursors and substances listed under International conventions has been strengthened by the CHA. Nitrous oxide (laughing gas), which is likely to be abused by young people, along with its raw material, ammonium nitrate, were included in the list of concerned chemical substances respectively in 2019 and 2020. In 2021, the CHA listed hydrogen fluoride as a hazardous chemical substance of concern. The CHA also updated the list of concerned chemical substances on January 12, 2023. Chemicals added into this list this year were five chemicals with food safety risks, including lead monoxide, two new psychoactive substances (1,4-butanediol and poppy alkaloids), and eight explosive precursors, including calcium ammonium nitrate.
The CHA continuously assesses the chemicals that need to be more closely managed, based on their characteristics, domestic operation and managing requirements, with the goal of "food safety, health, and security". Currently, the CHA is researching 2-chloroethanol (a chemical with food safety risks) and gamma-butyrolactone (a drug precursor) to be listed as concerned chemical substances designated by the Executive Yuan. Also, a notice has been issued on July 11, 2023 for the listing of perfluorohexane sulfonic acid, its salts, and related compounds as toxic chemical substances, following the Stockholm Convention, in order to continually strengthen the domestic management of chemicals.
