To ensure food safety for citizens and strengthen food safety management, the “Food Safety Joint Inspection and Confiscation Task Force” of the Executive Yuan has scheduled to check on 6 items of important daily needs in half a year from December 2013 onwards. These items include milk, Chinese New Year food, rice, egg products, organic agricultural products and soy sauce. A comprehensive inspection was carried out on a total of 20 plants of 17 dairy manufacturers this month (December). Veterinary drug residues were tested and sources of raw materials as well as additives were inspected; plant hygiene and environment were also checked to see if they met the standards. Relevant units will collaborate with each other to jointly inspect dairy plants. The Council of Agriculture will inspect the management of raw milk in dairy plants and conduct sample testing on raw milk stored in the milk storage tanks with regard to 86 items of veterinary drug residues in 6 categories. The Food and Drug Administration of the Ministry of Health and Welfare will conduct the rapid screening of raw milk, check plant sanitation, inspect the temperature control of raw materials in warehouses, conduct sample testing on dairy products with regard to 86 items of veterinary drug residues and check hygiene standards concerning dairy products (including Listeria monocytogenes, Salmonella enterica, and Staphylococcus aureus enterotoxins). The Ministry of Economic Affairs will conduct inspection on dairy-related GMP products and the results will be released in early January. 

Because the amendment to the Act Governing Food Sanitation is about to pass, the concept of three-level quality control of food has been included. The concept involves voluntary management conducted by business operators themselves, inspection carried out by a certified third party, and sample inspection and management by the government. To implement the concept of three-level quality control, this inspection on dairy plants particularly aimed to gain an understanding of the implementation of the concept among business operators and to provide guidance to them, so as to improve food safety management and protect the health of citizens. 

To integrate force among competent authorities related to food safety, the government set up a “Food Safety Joint Inspection and Confiscation Task Force” under the food and medication safety council of the Executive Yuan. This task force combines relevant ministries of the Central Government and local governments with force among prosecutors, police and investigators to promote key inspection on food, starting from important daily needs, so as to maintain food safety and protect consumers’ rights. In order to maintain food safety for citizens, the government will continue to carry out inspection work and release information on unqualified products for subsequent processing in accordance with the law.