Taiwan issues new labelling regulations for fish, chocolate and herb

By RJ Whitehead

- Last updated on GMT

© iStock
© iStock

Related tags Chocolate

Taiwan has introduced new regulations to govern the labelling of several foods in a bid to improve food safety and protect consumers' rights, the Food and Drug Administration said.

The new measures cover labelling of cod, chocolate and semen coicis, a traditional herb, after they came in force on January 1.

The regulations, which are part of the Act Governing Food Safety and Sanitation, stipulate that only fish classified as Gadiformes​ should be labelled as cod, whereas other species, even if they are close to the Gadiformes​ order, should not be.

This follows cases of sea bass and Greenland halibut being labeled and sold to Taiwan consumers as cod.

The FDA also said that products labelled as dark sweet chocolate must contain at least 35% cocoa solids, while those labelled as milk chocolate must contain at least 25% cocoa solids. Otherwise, the product cannot be called chocolate, the FDA said.

New labelling regulations cover Semen Coicis, which the FDA said had been misrepresented, with food companies allegedly selling pearl barley under the guise of the similar looking traditional herbal ingredient.

Violators will be subject to fines of NT$30,000-4m (US$930-125,000).

Related topics Policy Food safety South Asia

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