McDonald's caught again, Control Yuan incites fast food companies
TAIPEI, Taiwan -- Fast-food chain McDonalds was caught for the second day in a row with unchanged oil in fryers and questionable documentation of the oil change status, an incident set to further provoke members of the Control Yuan, who accused the oil in fast food restaurants as posing "deadly health risks," reported local media yesterday. According to Taipei City Congressman Lin Kuo-chen and officials of the Consumer Protection Commission (CPC) and Department of Health (DOH), managers at the McDonald's on Minchuan East Rd. Section 2 in Taipei City appeared to have lied about the oil change in the fryers.
The oil appeared dirty and dark and the managers were unable to provide coherent explanations. When Lin and the officials viewed the oil change status chart, it was oddly blank.
The chain restaurant was paid a surprise visit yesterday by Lin and the officials after complaints surfaced of the branch.
Lin had received calls from diners who complained of the smelly oil used to fry their meal. He then obtained the testimony of a previous employee, who commented that the restaurant changed the oil once a week.
Lin and the officials questioned the managers present, surnamed Chang and Wu, regarding the complaints as well as the day's oil change.
The managers' contradicted each other, at times saying that oil was changed in the morning and then in the afternoon. A look at the dark oil in the fryers caused Lin to believe that they were lying.
On Monday, the Jincheng street McDonald's in Tuchen City in Taipei County was caught by officials of the CPC reusing old oil and falsifying the oil change status chart.
In related news, Control Yuan members Cheng Jen-hung, Yang Mei-ling and Wu Feng-shan strongly condemned fast food restaurants and businesses that reused fryer oil to cut costs at the risk of consumers' health.
At a press conference yesterday, Cheng said that the restaurants imposed "deadly health risks" on the unsuspecting diners.
The toxic chemical compound, acrylamide, made when carbohydrate foods are cooked at high temperatures via cooking methods, such as frying, deep frying and baking, could lurk in oil that has been used heavily.
According to health officials, acrylamide consumption is linked to cancer risk, though not scientifically proven.
Cheng pointed out that the DOH's regulations regarding the oil was not specific enough. According to the health standards, oil is deemed unusable only when it has a rancid odor, when the acidity is over 2.5 and when the polar compounds in the oil exceed 25 percent.
Cheng also cited a mandate by the Commercial Industrial Service Portal of the Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA) that states all equipment used in frying and baking must be emptied of oil by the end of each day and washed in accordance with national food and health standards.
Finding a way to enforced this rule is a necessary topic of discussion, added Cheng.
The members of the Control Yuan together urged the DOH and MOEA to continue to follow up investigations on the restaurants and hope for an outcome and solution to result within three months.
The press conference was held in response to reports last Sunday, when eight fast-food chain stores were caught by the CPC with unchanged and reused oils in fryers.