1.Problem Analysis
(1) Industries:
a. Lack of self-control
b. Too many opportunists
c. Lack of professional managers
d. Many unknown high-risk companies
(2) Government:
a. Limited powers of administrative investigation
b. Limited data and databases
c. Limited inspection and test capabilities
d. Insufficient information on imported food management
(3) Public:
a. Indifferent to food safety
b. Unable to evaluate facticity of rumors
(4) Laws:
a. Lack of deterrence with minor punishments
b. Spectrum of new and potential risks
c. Lack of harmonization with international regulations
2.Promote Five-point Food Safety Policy
| Strategy | Achievements |
|---|---|
| Food Import Management | Wider scope of products subject to systematic inspection; inspections of fishery and dairy products started in 2018; egg and animal-fat products set for 2019 |
| Harmonization of food regulations and standards with international norms | Standards for 380 pesticides, 141 veterinary drugs and 791 food additives were established, amended and reviewed |
| Using big-data analysis to find high-risk companies | Combine statistics with artificial intelligence to improve high-risk detection hit rates at food borders and post-markets |
| Strategy | Achievements |
|---|---|
| Refining the registration requirements for food industries | Registration of warehousing information and food logistics become mandatory; 450,000+ firms registered by end of 2018 |
| Expand self-regulatory systems and require them in key industries | All food manufacturing industries of designated categories capitalized with at least NT$ 30,000,000 must conduct testing and establish traceability systems and food safety monitoring plans |
| Strategy | Achievements |
|---|---|
| Strengthen government market-inspection capabilities | 1. The compliance rate for imported food on the market was 98.1% in 2018 2. The compliance rate for domestically produced food on the market was 95.5% in 2018 |
| Inter-agency cooperation and integration of inspection resources | Dried daylily products can serve as an example of agricultural and administrative agencies cooperating; through joint inspection and counseling at the source and stronger production management and restaurant inspections, the pass rate rose to 98.3% year on year |
| Management of Japan food imports | Since 2011, only 224 cases have detectable radiation in more than 130,000 batches of Japanese food radiation tests, and these were still within legal limits |
| Strategy | Achievements |
|---|---|
| Review the Act Governing Food Safety and Sanitation and related regulations | The Ministry of Health and Welfare promulgated Penalty Standards for Fines under Paragraph 1, Article 44 of the Act Governing Food Safety and Sanitation |
| Directions on Definition of Severe Circumstances | Promulgation of Directions on Definition of Severe Circumstances in Violations of Paragraph 1 and 4, Article 15 and Article 16 of the Act Governing Food Safety and Sanitation |
| Strategy | Achievements |
|---|---|
| 1919 National Food Safety Helpline | TFDA received more than 213,000 calls addressing food-related complaints and inquiries by December 2018 |
| Whistle-blowing on food products | A total of 1054 complaints were received between December 2015 and November 2018; whistle-blower bonuses totaling NT$10.5 million for 3 cases were paid |
| TFDA Rumor Buster | TFDA’s official website has accumulated 8.03 million visitors; articles were referenced more than 2260 times by local and international electronic media |
3. Satisfaction Survey Analysis
Survey results show people are more satisfied with food safety management since implementation of the Five-point Food Safety Policy. Telephone survey results revealed that satisfaction has increased from 66.7% to 72.5%. As for a website survey, satisfaction rates have more than doubled from 27% to 65.2%.
4. Future Perspectives
(1) Improve food safety
- The compliance rate of sampling for imported food on the market of high impact will be 97.5% in 2020
- The compliance rate of sampling for domestically produced food on the market of high impact will be 92% in 2020
(2) Enhance and strengthen the Five-point Food Safety Policy and relevant actions
(3) Protect food safety by uniting government management, industrial self-regulation and public participation