The plasticizer panic has affected vendors in night markets, causing the sales of cold drinks to drop by around 50%. To ensure food safety, vendors have been posting SGS certificates on their booths, hoping to restore consumers' confidence in their products.
The plasticizer scandal has spread to night markets as health officials found that one supplier of the condensed fruit juice has been selling tainted materials to 16 food manufacturers, who sell the materials to food vendors in night markets.
In response to the news, vendors in night markets have started sending their products for SGS testing to protect their business reputation.
However, their business has dropped by as much as 50% for vendors who sell soft drinks.
Health officials said that authorities will continue to inspect night markets, as well as keep tracing the food additive laced with a carcinogenic plasticizer to its origin, in order to ensure food safety.
For parents who are concerned whether the plasticizer containing products have affected their children's health, Taiwan Pediatric Association has offered some guidelines for parents to watch out their children's development.
Doctors said that children exposed to excessive amount of plasticizers have greater risks of abnormal sexual development.
Girls who consume plasticizer for a long period of time tend to have sexual premature, while boys run the risk of testicular problems and enlarged breasts.
Still, prolonged consumption of large amount of plasticizer may affect the liver and kidney, cardiovascular system and even cause cancer.
Lawmakers have proposed 3 amendments to the Act Governing Food Sanitation, raising the fine to a maximum of NT$10 million, and even a jail sentence of five years to those who jeopardize the public food safety.
Regarding the possibly biggest food contamination ever in Taiwan, the Environmental Protection Administration has been planning to categorize plasticizer as the level two toxic substance, the level for carcinogenic and genotoxic substances that require registration to use them.
As for the corporations that sold tainted clouding agents,
the Ministry of Justice has seized 8 properties and 11 bank accounts of Yu Shen Chemical Corporation and will seize the companies' assets that were earned through selling tainted materials.
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