TAIPEI (TVBS News) — Taiwan's health authorities have pledged to maintain stringent food safety standards as the island nation contemplates eliminating tariffs on American meat imports. Health Minister Chiu Tai-yuan (邱泰源) outlined Thursday (April 24) that the Ministry of Health and Welfare (MOHW, 衛福部), Taiwan's primary healthcare regulatory agency, would enforce a four-pronged approach focusing on safety prioritization, evidence-based analysis, alignment with global standards, and comprehensive inspection regimes.
The announcement came during a special session of the "Social Welfare and Environmental Hygiene Committee" (立法院社會福利及衛生環境委員會), a key committee within Taiwan's legislature, where officials gathered to address concerns about agricultural interests and consumer safety under the proposed tariff elimination. Minister Chiu revealed that health authorities have performed approximately 300,000 inspections of pork product labeling since 2021, with violations being prosecuted under the country's primary food safety legislation, the Act Governing Food Safety and Sanitation (食品安全衛生管法).
During the session, Deputy Agriculture Minister Du Wen-zhen (杜文珍) presented data showing American beef dominates Taiwan's imported meat market, representing 41 percent of the 146,000 metric tons of beef brought into the island this year. The statistics revealed a different picture for pork, with American products comprising only 8 percent of Taiwan's yearly 110,000-metric-ton pork imports and representing less than 1 percent of the pork consumed by Taiwanese citizens.
Health officials maintain a multi-layered oversight system for foreign meat products, including origin verification, customs screening, and retail surveillance protocols. The ministry regularly dispatches teams of veterinary experts and officials from Taiwan's Food and Drug Administration (食品藥物管理署) to conduct on-site inspections of overseas meat processing facilities. Meanwhile, the Ministry of Agriculture (MOA, 農業部) engages in ongoing technical discussions with American counterparts to streamline quarantine procedures while addressing regulatory hurdles that function as de facto trade barriers. ★
