7 Indicted for Selling Sudan Dye-Tainted Condiments

Taipei: Seven individuals from a company specializing in spices and condiments have been indicted for breaching food safety regulations, document forgery, and fraud. This follows their alleged involvement in distributing products containing illegal Sudan dyes, as per a statement from prosecutors in Yunlin County. According to Focus Taiwan, the Yunlin District Prosecutors Office filed the indictment after completing an investigation sparked by a February 2024 report from the Yunlin County Public Health Bureau. The report highlighted the presence of banned red dye Sudan III in chili powder. The products in question were distributed by a factory owned by Taipei-based Chiseng Hong Ltd. located in Douliu City, Yunlin. The inquiry widened when the New Taipei City Department of Health discovered Sudan I in curry powder made by Chiseng Hong in October 2024. All seven individuals indicted were employees of Chiseng Hong Ltd., including the general manager, a man named Chen, and his son, who managed their family busin ess in Taipei. The other five individuals served in various capacities within the company, including two in quality control, two in the Douliu factory, and one in logistics, prosecutors stated. Both Chen and his son also held roles at Rich's Spice International Inc., a trading firm, operating both businesses from the same Taipei address. The father's alleged offenses as general manager at both Chiseng Hong and Rich's Spice led to the companies also being named as defendants for breaching the Act Governing Food Safety and Sanitation. Prosecutors are seeking the maximum penalties, arguing that the defendants were aware of the Sudan dye contamination but continued production and sales to multiple companies. Prosecutors also requested the court to impose fines on the companies up to ten times the amount fined to Chen for his alleged food safety violations. Investigation revealed that Chiseng Hong employees first detected Sudan III and IV in chili powder from a supplier after testing samples in May 2023. Despit e this, the company continued buying the contaminated powder for condiment production until January 2024. Additionally, Chiseng Hong sourced turmeric powder from Rich's Spice since October 2023, even after Sudan I was detected in samples tested by SGS Taiwan in March 2024. The sale of these tainted products resulted in earnings of NT$6.77 million (US$205,000) for Chiseng Hong, which prosecutors classified as fraudulent since the indicted individuals concealed the presence of toxic chemicals for profit. In late 2023, three employees altered test results required by a supermarket chain for supplier vetting, and informed Chen's son, the prosecutors added. Consequently, the indictment also encompassed charges of document forgery, as elaborated by the prosecutors.