PCT hospitals and staff convey concern for DEHP food scare

["Taiwan Church News" <enews@pctpress.org>]

3097 Edition

July 4-10, 2011

Headline News

PCT hospitals and staff convey concern for DEHP food scare

Reported by staff reporters

Written by Lydia Ma

Taiwanese consumers these days cringe at the word “plasticizer” (DEHP) whenever 
it’s mentioned. The chemical term became infamous in May 2011 when a Department 
of Health technician surnamed Yang discovered that DEHP had been found in 
clouding agents used for food. Affected items included sports drinks, juice, 
tea beverages, syrup and jams, as well as tablet supplements and powdered food 
products. 

This food scare wasn’t merely a national crisis for it generated international 
concern and marred Taiwan’s reputation and credibility as an exporter. Taiwan’s 
Department of Health Minister Chiu Wen-ta called for mass inspections so that 
foods could be certified to be free of DEHP before being put on the market. 
Retailers in violation of the ban will be punished in accordance with the Act 
Governing Food Sanitation.

Chiu, a member of Da-an Presbyterian Church in Seven Stars Presbytery in Taipei 
and former Wan Fang Hospital Superintendent, has contacted PCT General 
Secretary Andrew Chang and asked for his prayers. 

According to Chang, Chiu is a devout Christian and his efforts and good 
management skills were crucial in securing Wan Fang Hospital’s comeback and 
success as a hospital in Taipei. Chang urged Taiwanese Christians and PCT 
churches to pray for Chiu so that this controversy will be handled well so that 
God will be honored in the end.

Commenting on the recent controversy, Taiwan Church Press President Joseph Chen 
said that when it comes to food safety, the onus is on the government. Having 
worked in the food sector for more than 20 years before becoming a full-time 
pastor,  his experience tells him that the solution to this problem is to find 
the source – the companies responsible for making food additives. Chen said 
that it’s impossible to expect every food manufacturer down the line to own 
inspection equipment capable of checking whether every raw materials they 
purchase are safe.

In other words, checking stores for DEHP is useless in solving the problem 
because it doesn’t nip the issue at the bud, said Chen. The Ma administration 
should instead reexamine food safety laws and fix the problem by monitoring raw 
material providers if it wants to regain the trust and confidence of Taiwanese 
consumers.

At the same time, consumers needn’t be overly alarmed, said Dr. Tang Feng-cheng 
from Changhua Christian Hospital who oversees patients who need medical 
attention for DEHP-related issues. He added that in the weeks since the scandal 
broke, CHC has seen over 100 patients concerned about DEHP poisoning, but no 
case has been reported so far

Tang told Taiwan Church News that the usual hospital protocol for patients 
complaining of possible DEHP poisoning is to check the nervous, respiratory, 
digestive, reproductive and endocrine system for abnormalities. 

To patients who have lined up to see him to ensure that they haven’t been 
poisoned, he underscored that there are many harmful chemicals in our 
environment already that can make people sick, and not every illness should be 
traced to DEHP.

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