Mandatory labeling of beef products to indicate origin will take effect in September

The Legislative Yuan amended and passed the Food Sanitation Management Act, which was promulgated and implemented by the President on the 8th. Regarding the safe tolerance of ractopamine in beef and mandatory labeling, the Department of Health today announced relevant regulations. In addition to adding a safe tolerance of ractopamine in beef to 10ppb in the "Animal Drug Residue Standards", it also stipulates that for containerized or packaged foods, bulk foods, and catering establishments, the origin of beef, whether imported or domestic, should be labeled.

Kang Zhaozhou, director of the Food and Drug Administration of the Department of Health, said that the notice period for safe tolerance levels is 14 days, while the notice period for mandatory labeling is shortened to 7 days. He hopes that the mandatory labeling regulations can be implemented before beef containing ractopamine enters the market, and the announcement can be made before the end of the month at the earliest. In addition, businesses will be given a 7 to 15 day preparation period, so it can be implemented as early September at the earliest.

Kang Zhaozhou pointed out that after the safe limit of ractopamine in beef is announced in the future, the border will still maintain batch-by-batch inspection to ensure that it complies with the safe limit of 10ppb. At the same time, market sampling will be strengthened to ensure that commercially available beef products comply with regulations.

As for the mandatory labeling of beef, it is stipulated that all foods containing beef must clearly indicate the country of origin of the beef ingredients on the outer packaging or through signs, signboards, menu notes, etc., so that consumers can identify them. Briefing sessions have been held for businesses including general merchandise stores, hypermarkets, hypermarkets, supermarkets, convenience stores, grocery stores, traditional markets, restaurants, fast food businesses, night markets, snack bars, food courts, etc., all of which must comply with the regulations.

The implementation date is divided into two phases: "bulk food" and "eating places" will be implemented 7 days after the announcement, and "container or packaged food" will be implemented 15 days after the announcement. Kang Zhaozhou said that the manpower of the health bureaus of various counties and cities will be mobilized at that time to conduct a carpet-style inspection of these three projects within 2 months.

Failure to label in accordance with regulations may result in a fine of NT$30,000 to NT$150,000, and false labeling may result in a fine of NT$40,000 to NT$200,000. If beef products are found to have residual ractopamine exceeding 10 ppb, the maximum fine may be NT$6 million.

As for the fact that some counties and cities are planning to use autonomous regulations to refuse beef containing ractopamine, Kang Zhaozhou said that meat products have the characteristics of mobile sales, so the central regulations should still be followed; as for the labeling part, the Department of Health only regulates the font size, the focus is to make it clear to consumers, and does not restrict the appearance of the label.