Clipping Board » Illness Enters through Mouth ─ The information that has been made public is often just the tip of the iceberg...
November 20, 2014
Zhang Peisen / Taoyuan Report
When will unscrupulous merchants stop poisoning the health of the people! Just two days after the new food safety law was passed in its third reading, the Taoyuan Health Bureau uncovered that Zhenguo Food had altered the expiration dates of sauces that had been expired for three years, extending them to next year, repackaged them for sale, and even extended the shelf life of popular 3-in-1 coffee, creating "future food." A total of 14 problematic products, over 8,000 boxes, were seized yesterday. Preliminary estimates suggest the illegal activities had persisted for two years, affecting more than 4,000 downstream businesses. The health bureau suspects over 300 other products may also be problematic and has ordered the company to halt operations while referring the case to judicial authorities. In response, Lu Yun, chairman of the Consumers' Foundation, angrily denounced the actions yesterday, calling them "utterly despicable and morally outrageous!"
Zhenguo Coffee, a well-known domestic brand, was acquired and operated by businessman Lin Zhiguo in 2001. In recent years, its physical coffee shops have sharply declined, and the company has shifted to becoming a food supplier, specializing in 3-in-1 coffee packets, pastries, and other products. Major retail chains such as PX Mart, Taiwan Sugar, RT-Mart, OK Mart, and Mr. Brown Coffee all sell its products. Three years ago, during the plasticizer scandal, Zhenguo was implicated, and now the Taoyuan County Health Bureau has discovered it selling expired food, severely deceiving consumers.
The Taoyuan County Health Bureau recently received reports from the public alleging that Zhenguo Food was selling expired products. Over the past two days, the bureau conducted inspections at Zhenguo’s subsidiary Chengkang Food’s Bade factory and the Zhenshanmei Motel, uncovering that the company had fraudulently changed the expiration date of "French Vegetable Mixed Sauce Packets," which had expired three years ago, to March 28, 2015. They also altered the expiration date of frozen chicken legs, originally expired on December 14, 2013—nearly a year past due—to October 25, 2015. The Yilan Health Bureau also found that Chengkang Food’s Yilan factory had repackaged and sold expired products such as Chinese Herbal Sturgeon Rejuvenation Soup, Chinese Herbal Sturgeon High-Collagen Rejuvenation Soup, and Chinese Herbal Rejuvenation Congee.
**Labeling Expiration Dates Only Upon Shipment**
The health bureau further discovered that the company used expired taro flavoring, about a month past its shelf life, to make vanilla taro cakes. It also arbitrarily extended the shelf life of packaged coffee products like "Blue Mountain Flavor Coffee," "Original Sugar-Free 2-in-1," and "Mandheling 3-in-1" by two to three months. For products like mackerel, sea bream, and the "Abu Cake Series," no expiration dates were marked during production—only added right before shipment. Reports even indicated that some cakes had been made six months prior before being labeled with an expiration date just before shipping, a highly unethical practice.
**Owner Evades Responsibility, Case Referred for Prosecution**
Taoyuan inspectors sealed 4,000 boxes of problematic goods on-site. Based on the company’s production records, they estimated the illegal activities had been ongoing for at least two years, with tainted products distributed to around 4,000 downstream businesses. Over 300 other products are suspected to be problematic.
Meanwhile, the Yilan Health Bureau seized approximately 4,700 kilograms (around 4,000 boxes) of expired products, including "Chicken Tail Vertebrae" and "Bone-in Chicken Legs," at Chengkang Food’s Yilan factory, suspecting they were intended for relabeling and resale. The entire batch was confiscated.
When questioned by inspectors, owner Lin Zhiguo dodged responsibility, first blaming workers for rushing orders and then claiming ignorance about the situation before ultimately denying everything. The health bureau has forwarded the case to the Taoyuan District Prosecutors Office for investigation and ordered both Chengkang and Zhenguo factories to cease operations.
**Unable to Penalize Under New Food Safety Law Yet**
Lawyer Liao Fangxuan explained that although the new food safety law has passed its third reading, it still requires the president to announce its effective date. If the law involves increased penalties, it will only apply to violations occurring after its enactment, unless otherwise specified in the legislation.Lawyer Chen Liangyou pointed out that using expired ingredients to produce food or making "future-dated" food violates the Criminal Code's offense of obstructing agriculture, industry, and commerce, punishable by up to one year in prison, detention, or a fine of up to 1,000 yuan. It also constitutes fraud, which carries a penalty of up to five years in prison, and may violate Article 49 of the Food Sanitation Management Act, which prohibits adulteration or mislabeling of food and is punishable by up to three years in prison.
Lawyer Zhang Zhigang, a director of the Consumers' Foundation, also criticized: "Businesses cannot sacrifice consumer food safety to cut costs!" He admitted that reducing costs is the quickest way to boost profits, but this is no excuse for neglecting food safety. He also emphasized that although the government has increased penalties for food safety violations, such issues continue to arise frequently, and authorities should expand inspection efforts.
**Profile of Manabe Coffee**
- **Owner:** Lin Zhiguo
- **Capital:** NT$50 million
- **Establishment:** Introduced to Taiwan from Japan in 1992 under the original name "KOHIKAN Manabe Coffee House," represented by International Business Associates. However, due to financial difficulties, the "Manabe Coffee" trademark was auctioned off by a bank in 1999. In 2001, the current owner, Lin Zhiguo, acquired it. The original "KOHIKAN" rebranded as "Kohikan," while the "Manabe Coffee" name continued to be used in China, resulting in two separate systems under the same name across the strait.
- **Business Scope:** Manabe Coffee Houses, food retail distribution
- **Controversies:**
- **2011/08/12:** The Consumers' Foundation found that Manabe’s "Brown Sugar Milk Tea" actually used regular sugar, which, while not illegal, could mislead consumers.
- **2011/06/02:** During the plasticizer food scandal, Manabe sourced ingredients from King’s Fruit Beverage & Food Co., a downstream supplier of Kaiyuan Food, which used plasticizers and clouding agents.
- **2009/08/24:** Manabe’s homemade sandwiches were found by Taipei’s Department of Health to exceed bacterial standards.
Source: Compiled from *Apple Daily* interviews.
Source: http:/ / www. appledaily. com. tw……e/ headline/ 20141120/ 36218544
Damn It! Expired for 3 Years, Repackaged and Sold
Zhang Peisen / Taoyuan Report
When will unscrupulous merchants stop poisoning the health of the people! Just two days after the new food safety law was passed in its third reading, the Taoyuan Health Bureau uncovered that Zhenguo Food had altered the expiration dates of sauces that had been expired for three years, extending them to next year, repackaged them for sale, and even extended the shelf life of popular 3-in-1 coffee, creating "future food." A total of 14 problematic products, over 8,000 boxes, were seized yesterday. Preliminary estimates suggest the illegal activities had persisted for two years, affecting more than 4,000 downstream businesses. The health bureau suspects over 300 other products may also be problematic and has ordered the company to halt operations while referring the case to judicial authorities. In response, Lu Yun, chairman of the Consumers' Foundation, angrily denounced the actions yesterday, calling them "utterly despicable and morally outrageous!"
Zhenguo Coffee, a well-known domestic brand, was acquired and operated by businessman Lin Zhiguo in 2001. In recent years, its physical coffee shops have sharply declined, and the company has shifted to becoming a food supplier, specializing in 3-in-1 coffee packets, pastries, and other products. Major retail chains such as PX Mart, Taiwan Sugar, RT-Mart, OK Mart, and Mr. Brown Coffee all sell its products. Three years ago, during the plasticizer scandal, Zhenguo was implicated, and now the Taoyuan County Health Bureau has discovered it selling expired food, severely deceiving consumers.
The Taoyuan County Health Bureau recently received reports from the public alleging that Zhenguo Food was selling expired products. Over the past two days, the bureau conducted inspections at Zhenguo’s subsidiary Chengkang Food’s Bade factory and the Zhenshanmei Motel, uncovering that the company had fraudulently changed the expiration date of "French Vegetable Mixed Sauce Packets," which had expired three years ago, to March 28, 2015. They also altered the expiration date of frozen chicken legs, originally expired on December 14, 2013—nearly a year past due—to October 25, 2015. The Yilan Health Bureau also found that Chengkang Food’s Yilan factory had repackaged and sold expired products such as Chinese Herbal Sturgeon Rejuvenation Soup, Chinese Herbal Sturgeon High-Collagen Rejuvenation Soup, and Chinese Herbal Rejuvenation Congee.
**Labeling Expiration Dates Only Upon Shipment**
The health bureau further discovered that the company used expired taro flavoring, about a month past its shelf life, to make vanilla taro cakes. It also arbitrarily extended the shelf life of packaged coffee products like "Blue Mountain Flavor Coffee," "Original Sugar-Free 2-in-1," and "Mandheling 3-in-1" by two to three months. For products like mackerel, sea bream, and the "Abu Cake Series," no expiration dates were marked during production—only added right before shipment. Reports even indicated that some cakes had been made six months prior before being labeled with an expiration date just before shipping, a highly unethical practice.
**Owner Evades Responsibility, Case Referred for Prosecution**
Taoyuan inspectors sealed 4,000 boxes of problematic goods on-site. Based on the company’s production records, they estimated the illegal activities had been ongoing for at least two years, with tainted products distributed to around 4,000 downstream businesses. Over 300 other products are suspected to be problematic.
Meanwhile, the Yilan Health Bureau seized approximately 4,700 kilograms (around 4,000 boxes) of expired products, including "Chicken Tail Vertebrae" and "Bone-in Chicken Legs," at Chengkang Food’s Yilan factory, suspecting they were intended for relabeling and resale. The entire batch was confiscated.
When questioned by inspectors, owner Lin Zhiguo dodged responsibility, first blaming workers for rushing orders and then claiming ignorance about the situation before ultimately denying everything. The health bureau has forwarded the case to the Taoyuan District Prosecutors Office for investigation and ordered both Chengkang and Zhenguo factories to cease operations.
**Unable to Penalize Under New Food Safety Law Yet**
Lawyer Liao Fangxuan explained that although the new food safety law has passed its third reading, it still requires the president to announce its effective date. If the law involves increased penalties, it will only apply to violations occurring after its enactment, unless otherwise specified in the legislation.Lawyer Chen Liangyou pointed out that using expired ingredients to produce food or making "future-dated" food violates the Criminal Code's offense of obstructing agriculture, industry, and commerce, punishable by up to one year in prison, detention, or a fine of up to 1,000 yuan. It also constitutes fraud, which carries a penalty of up to five years in prison, and may violate Article 49 of the Food Sanitation Management Act, which prohibits adulteration or mislabeling of food and is punishable by up to three years in prison.
Lawyer Zhang Zhigang, a director of the Consumers' Foundation, also criticized: "Businesses cannot sacrifice consumer food safety to cut costs!" He admitted that reducing costs is the quickest way to boost profits, but this is no excuse for neglecting food safety. He also emphasized that although the government has increased penalties for food safety violations, such issues continue to arise frequently, and authorities should expand inspection efforts.
**Profile of Manabe Coffee**
- **Owner:** Lin Zhiguo
- **Capital:** NT$50 million
- **Establishment:** Introduced to Taiwan from Japan in 1992 under the original name "KOHIKAN Manabe Coffee House," represented by International Business Associates. However, due to financial difficulties, the "Manabe Coffee" trademark was auctioned off by a bank in 1999. In 2001, the current owner, Lin Zhiguo, acquired it. The original "KOHIKAN" rebranded as "Kohikan," while the "Manabe Coffee" name continued to be used in China, resulting in two separate systems under the same name across the strait.
- **Business Scope:** Manabe Coffee Houses, food retail distribution
- **Controversies:**
- **2011/08/12:** The Consumers' Foundation found that Manabe’s "Brown Sugar Milk Tea" actually used regular sugar, which, while not illegal, could mislead consumers.
- **2011/06/02:** During the plasticizer food scandal, Manabe sourced ingredients from King’s Fruit Beverage & Food Co., a downstream supplier of Kaiyuan Food, which used plasticizers and clouding agents.
- **2009/08/24:** Manabe’s homemade sandwiches were found by Taipei’s Department of Health to exceed bacterial standards.
Source: Compiled from *Apple Daily* interviews.
Source: http:/ / www. appledaily. com. tw……e/ headline/ 20141120/ 36218544