The shadow of "Lai pig" and "nuclear food" has not dissipated, and the "dark cloud" in Taiwan's food safety field has risen again.

In addition to imported comprehensive berries from large supermarkets Costco, which were found to contain hepatitis A virus, strawberries imported from Japan were also found to contain banned pesticides, but the "Food and Drug Administration" of the Taiwan authorities recently invited experts to discuss and chose to relax pesticide testing standards. As soon as the news came out, public opinion was in an uproar.

Source: Zhongshi News Network

"Cut your feet" and relax pesticide testing standards

Recently, Taiwan's "Food and Drug Administration" announced the monitoring results of pesticide residues in vegetables and fruits and agricultural products on the market from January to February, and the strawberries imported from Japan were inspected batch by batch, containing "Kefanpai" and "Flonamide", two pesticides banned by Taiwan.

Taiwan's food import inspection is divided into three grades: general batch selection, enhanced inspection, and batch by batch inspection, and the inspection method is adjusted according to the risk of imported products. The Food and Drug Administration has repeatedly failed to meet the record of strawberries imported from Japan, and the "Food and Drug Administration" has taken the method of 3% batch by batch inspection more than once, and the inspection results show that a considerable number of Japanese strawberries have been tested for pesticide residues.

Wu Xiumei, head of the Food and Drug Administration, said that the Japanese side had applied for permission to allow the two pesticides "Kefanpai" and "Flonamide" to be used in strawberries, and the relevant process has been approved by the expert meeting a few days ago, and the next step will be to follow the procedure to follow the advance notification process, and it will be made public online within two weeks at the earliest. This means that the relevant testing standards will be relaxed, and Japanese strawberries that exceed the pesticide standard will be legal.

According to Taiwan media reports, this kind of behavior cannot help but remind people of the DPP authorities to lower the standard of power supply lights in order to cover up the fact of lack of electricity; In order to take care of the Green Camp bosses, the relevant regulations were amended to relax the requirements for repeat offenders to apply for foreign service prison; In order to downplay the plagiarism scandal of Lin Zhijian, former mayor of Hsinchu who is a member of the Democratic Progressive Party, he moved his brain to cases such as opening master's students to write their papers.

Returning to the "poisonous" strawberry incident, instead of strictly controlling the import of agricultural products and ensuring food safety, they "cut their feet to fit their feet", opening the door to substandard products, and the DPP authorities' response method is once again jaw-dropping.

Disregarding the health of the people and the interests of farmers

Zeng Zhichao, deputy secretary-general of Taiwan's Chinese Economic and Financial Association, wrote an article on the United News Network that the "Food and Drug Administration", which has repeatedly seized pesticide residues imported from Japan and controls the food safety of the people, has relaxed food safety regulations for Japanese goods in an efficient way, and is suspected of escorting agricultural products for specific targets.

Chinese Kuomintang "legislator" Ma Wenjun questioned that Taiwan's strawberries are strictly required to adopt high standards of pesticide residue control, and as a result, Japanese strawberries violate the law, and the "Food and Drug Administration" does not require Japan to return all and suspend imports, but helps it open a convenient door. Lai Shibao, a "legislator" of the Chinese Kuomintang, also commented that Taiwan's strawberry farmers self-disciplined not to use the two pesticides "flonamide" and "Kefanpai", but the "Food and Drug Administration" wanted to lower the pesticide testing standards in order to please Japan.

According to Taiwan's "China Times", strawberry farmers in Miaoli Dahu Township protested that farmers on the island strictly abide by recommended drugs and control high-standard pesticide residues for food safety and health. How to account for strawberry farmers who comply with the law? Hu Zhilang, director of the extension department of the Great Lake Township Agricultural Association, said that because consumers do not understand the characteristics of these two pesticides, they are easily misled into thinking that Japanese strawberries are better and purchased, which will seriously hit the self-produced strawberry market and sacrifice the rights and interests of berry farmers.

Some netizens sighed, "Can pesticide residues still be relaxed?" "Aren't Taiwanese lives worthless?" "Why issue a ticket for speeding in the future, just raise the speed limit" "This is very DPP" "There is no most pull, only more, as long as it encounters the United States and Japan, it will automatically turn, what is food safety, it is not important at all" ...

There have long been lessons from the past of "Lai pig" and "nuclear food"

Regardless of the health and well-being of the people, they insisted on opening up substandard food to enter Taiwan, which is not the first time that the DPP authorities have done so. Opening up the "Lai pig" and lifting the ban on "nuclear food" is its well-known absurdity.

The so-called "Lai pig" is pork containing lean buterol ractopamine. In August 2020, DPP authorities announced that they would gradually open up the import of ractopamine-containing U.S. pork and beef. The authorities whitewashed the move as beneficial to the signing of trade agreements with the United States and even the expansion of the so-called "international space."

The data picture shows the pork shelf in a supermarket in Taiwan. Image source: China Times

In 2011, after the nuclear leakage accident at the Fukushima nuclear power plant in Japan, food from Fukushima, Ibaraki, Tochigi and other places was involved in radioactive contamination, which was called "nuclear food" in Taiwan and was banned from import. In February 2022, the administrative agency of the Taiwan authorities announced the opening of imports of "nuclear food" from five prefectures and cities including Fukushima, Japan.

Whether it is "Lai pig" or "nuclear food", before and after the DPP came to power, between opposition and welcome, the rapid change of its position and the great change in attitude are all staggering, which can be described as "extremely pandering", even if it is like problem food, it can "turn big things into small things" and "small things into small things". However, ironically, if the object of interaction is replaced by the mainland with the same roots and origin, although the food is loved by the Taiwanese people, it is likely to be "treated" by vigorous smears, "smears", and even stigmatization.

For example, not long ago, snail powder from the mainland, because of the "earthy love words" printed on the outer packaging, was described by the Taiwan authorities as a "united front tool" that was illegally flowed in, and demanded that it be completely removed online and offline. What's more, a middle school biology textbook that uses "potatoes" to refer to potatoes is actually said by Taiwan politicians to use "mainland terms" and demand correction, which is ridiculous.

As Taiwan's "Zhongshi News Network" published a comment on the 6th, the key to the chaos in Taiwan in recent years may be that the authorities always treat the laws and regulations as amoebas, not only engaging in double standards, but also changing them at any time due to specific interests.

When the DPP is still going to escort the problem food, when will ordinary people be able to "eat with peace of mind"? When will the "dark cloud" hanging over food safety fade? (Author: South Star)