Mayor Eric Chu appeals to manage food sources to prohibit adulterated food
During the City Council’s general interrogation, New Taipei City Mayor Eric Chu indicated that the management of food sources was the most fundamental and simplest method to enhance food safety; he said that the Central Government and local governments must be decisive to prohibit adulterated food products from the root. Moreover, he declared that 200 senior clubs would be established next year in New Taipei City, and 15 public day care centers would be set up to let elders live healthier and happier.
Chu said that food source management should be done to solve food safety issues, and only the City Government was currently doing it; however, it was not sufficient because most of the factories were located in the middle and south of Taiwan; the Central Government and local governments must work together and execute food source management. In addition, the GMP label and CAS label were not valid forever, and all the governments should keep inspecting to ensure food safety.
Chu represented that the City Government was executing cooperative food safety inspection to put food source management into effect. Besides the increase in the number of inspection officers, the number of Police Officers accompanying inspection officers was also increased. He must use the strictest standard to protect civilians. He also emphasized that the City Government was discussing to raise the ratio and the limit of the rewards for reporting, and for serious food safety cases the rewards would be in million dollars units; dealers might be not afraid of being penalized for money, but they must be afraid of being sentenced. The City Government was simultaneously working together with Censorship and Investigation Bureaus which would be informed immediately if some companies were found not to cooperate, and they would also give illegal companies serious penalties to prohibit the occurrences of adulterated food products cases.
Regarding about elderly care, Chu said that the City Government not only promoted “elders eating together” to let elders take care of each other and support each other to live happier, but also planned to set up 200 senior clubs as the next goal next year as well as expanded to establish 15 public day care centers to strengthen senior day care services. For those elders who could not go out and needed to be taken care of, the City Government promoted the idea of different generations to help each other via volunteer banks, and encouraged seniors to volunteer to take care of other seniors. These senior volunteers needed to have 18 hour professional training, and the first cohort just finished. More volunteers would be recruited in the future to assist in helping take care of those elders who had the home care needs.
Regarding about helping school children who had encountered sexual assaults and indecent, Chu indicated that he was like all the parents who could not accept that their children encountered those kinds of miserable things, so he directed the Education Department to set up a specialized unit to design associated back up system for psychological counseling, legal assistance and follow-up track. Moreover, some Councilors suggested that the City Government to cooperate with District Prosecutors Offices to track the progress of related lawsuits, and to offer legal defense assistance in time. Chu promised that the suggestion would be considered together to help school children victims.
Councilors Lian Feifan, Liu Meifang, Wang Mingli, Huang-Lin Lingling, Cai Shujun, Hong Jiajun, Bai Peiru, Chen Yijun, Lin Guochun, Liao Zhengliang, Jin Jieshou, Hu Shurong, Jin Reirong, Huang Guilan, Huang Yongchang, Liu Zhezhang and Qiu Fengyao processed the general interrogation at today’s City Council Meeting.