TAIPEI (TVBS News) — A staff cafeteria in the basement of Taipei City Hall was fined NT$1.08 million on Friday (April 12) by the City Government Department of Health under the Act Governing Food Safety due to food safety violations.
The Taipei City Secretariat also imposed a punitive breach-of-contract fine of NT$1 million and terminated the contract with the cafeteria known as Fu-Yan. The Secretariat demanded the return of the premises.
The health department conducted surprise inspections on April 4 and 5, finding 20 instances of expired ingredients and one case of unsanitary conditions.
The Secretariat announced that it will immediately work with the health department to conduct daily unannounced inspections and increase the frequency of random checks. The scope of inspections will be expanded to include the B2 dining area, convenience stores, and food stalls in the city hall building.
The Secretariat has temporarily suspended the introduction of operators to run the staff cafeteria. Instead, it will negotiate with vendors to provide food trucks selling lunch boxes to offer dining options for city government employees.
The Secretariat will also work with the employment services office to assist Fu-Yan employees with job placement or subsidy applications.
While no reports of illness have been received from the public recently, the Secretariat urged city government employees and the public who have dined at the staff cafeteria recently and experienced discomfort to seek medical attention and report it promptly.
