Testing methods are being developed to identify the source of more agricultural and fishery products.
Tea, agricultural and fishery products in Taiwan are set to be regulated from 1st Jan 2023. Taiwan Government is establishing a traceability system, according to the Council of Agriculture (COA).
Domestically cultivated tea must be certificated with an indication of its origin, such as a QR code or a label listing it as organic. The measure will be introduced to fight counterfeit tea being labelled as Taiwan tea.
Over 4,000 businesses in the tea industry have registered their products as required by the Agricultural and Food Agency. False or inadequate labelling will incur penalties pursuant to the Act Governing Food Safety and Sanitation and information about the businesses held liable will be published, according to the COA.
COA Minister Chen Chi-Chung said testing methods are being developed to identify the source of more agricultural and fishery products. Oysters, garlic, and shiitake mushrooms are among those to be incorporated into the traceability mechanism.
In October, Kaohsiung seized 107 tons of tea leaves that claimed to have been grown in Taiwan but were actually produced in China and smuggled via Vietnam. The products, marketed as prime Taiwan tea, were distributed by a prominent tea dealer in Gangshan District.
