Hong Kong’s Centre for Food Safety is seeking advice from the Department of Justice after accusations that a local trading company sold oil intended for animal feed to the Taiwanese company at the centre of the “gutter oil” scandal.
Po Yuen Lard Company in Yuen Long sold oil produced from unwanted wet market pig carcasses to local supplier Globalway with the oil labelled as suitable for animal feed or industrial purposes but not human consumption (not harm there).
When Globalway shipped the oil to the Chang Guaan company in Taiwan, however, it was indicated to be worthy for making margarine, shortening and frying oil (hmmm, something’s gone amiss).
According to Taiwan’s Food and Drug Authority, the Chang Guann company, which is being accused of mixing the oil with illegal “gutter oil” and selling it to restaurants and hotels as edible oil, has imported more than 2,400 tonnes of oil from Hong Kong since 2008. Of these, 300 tonnes were certified as fit for “human use”.
Eighty-seven tonnes of oil left Hong Kong in two batches in March and May this year, with certificates confirming that it had passed safety requirements for human consumption. Authorities are now investigating whether such certificates were faked.
Chang Guann, the company that received the oil, is embroiled in a scandal after it was found to be producing substandard oil at its now-defunct factor in Taiwan. The so-called gutter oil is scooped out and drains and produced with recycled kitchen waste, meat offal from slaughter houses and run off from leather processing plants.
Hong Kong’s Maxim’s Cakes admitted its pineapple buns, sold all over Hong Kong and in Starbucks and 7-Eleven, were made with the suspect CG Fragrant Lard Oil. These have been taken off the shelves, along with two pork floss products made by Wei Chian Food that were also produced with the suspect oil.
All Hong Kong samples tested so far have been classed as satisfactory by the CFS.
Reader Interactions