20/10/2014 (Macau Business Daily) - On Wednesday and Thursday, the food safety authorities of Hong Kong and Macau announced a ban on importing edible oil produced in Taiwan, following information released by Taiwanese authorities that some oil traders had failed to meet the requirements of Customs declaration, where imported butter, coconut oil and palm kernel oil were declared for industrial use and not registered for inspection.

Macau’s quarantine authority, the Civic and Municipal Affairs Bureau, announced in a statement on Thursday that the ban on Taiwanese edible oil would be enforced until it saw evidence that such products no longer posed food safety risks.

This latest announcement came as putting edible oil plant origins on the import restriction list follows an import suspension of edible oil of animal origins from Taiwan in early September. It was reported that the island’s Chang Guann Co had sold tainted lard made from recycled oil to the domestic market, as well as Hong Kong and Macau.