Risk management needed to prevent future food scares

2011/06/10 Taipei, June 10 (CNA) Public health scholars on Friday urged the government to devise a comprehensive food safety and risk management mechanism, including the regulation of chemical substances, to prevent more food scandals from happening in the future. The measures taken by government officials in response to the recent food scare were far from satisfactory, said professors specializing in risk management. "So far these problems have only been dealt with on an ad hoc basis," said Wu Kuen-yuh, a professor at National Taiwan University's Institute of Occupational Medicine and Industrial Hygiene. He cited one example where officials told the public not to panic because DEHP, once ingested, is naturally released within 48 to 72 hours. "Health officials downplayed the health risks and overlooked the potential harm caused to the body during the metabolism process, " Wu said. The food safety scare was triggered by the discovery of a toxic chemical known as DEHP, or di (2-ethylhexyl phthalate) , in a wide array for foods and beverages. The chemical was ultimately traced to food additive suppliers Yu Shen Chemical Co. and Pin Han Perfumery Co., which added DEHP and other toxic chemicals to their products to save costs. Less than a month after the discovery, the number of food manufacturers affected remained unclear, and consumers continue to wonder what is safe to eat and how to seek compensation. Wu and four other professors proposed that Taiwan learn from other countries and devise a holistic food safety and risk management system that not only regulates the food manufacturing process but also details compensation procedures. They also suggested that the government adopt a strong chemical management system based on a European law on chemicals and their safe use, called REACH (Registration, Evaluation, Authorization and Restriction of Chemicals). The government has already pledged to reclassify some of the chemicals involved in the scandal as class I substances, which are subject to the strictest controls, instead of as class IV substances, as they are currently classified.