Ting Hsin says noodles in mainland are safe

Claims Master Kong products OK; though one flavor in Taiwan being examined for gutter oil

A spokesman with Ting Hsin International Group, a leading food producer in the Chinese mainland, confirmed with the Global Times on Tuesday that its popular instant noodles sold under the Master Kong brand in the Chinese mainland doesn't contain gutter oil from Taiwan.

"All products sold in the Chinese mainland are in compliance with the country's standards and have no hidden risks," Chen Gongru, spokesman for Ting Hsin International Group, told the Global Times, in response to media reports saying Ting Hsin was involved in the recent tainted oil scandal in Taiwan.

Ting Hsin International Group also authorized Ying & Ke Law Firm to make a clarification statement on Tuesday that denied mainland media reports Monday that claimed the Ministry of Public Security had said that Ting Hsin "confirmed" that gutter oil had been used in one of its noodle products sold in Taiwan.

Some media outlets maliciously spread rumors that "have seriously affected the interests of Ting Hsin International Group," according to the statement e-mailed to the Global Times Tuesday.

However, Master Kong's roasted pork noodles with scallion, one of its noodle products sold in Taiwan, was involved in the tainted oil scandal and this was produced by Wei Chuan Corp under license, Chen noted.

A total of 1,600 boxes of roasted pork noodles with scallion were removed from shelves in Taiwan and were being inspected by local supervisors to determine if gutter oil had been used.

Since the investigation is still ongoing, Chen refused to comment on whether Ting Hsin will continue to cooperate with Wei Chuan in Taiwan in the future.

Earlier this month, Taiwan police busted a ring selling hundreds of tons of recycled cooking oil made from kitchen waste and grease from leather processing plants, Xinhua News Agency reported.

Kaohsiung-based Chang Guann Co, a well-established cooking oil supplier, purchased the recycled oil to produce 782 tons of lard, with 645 tons sold to 971 food companies and restaurants including a number of leading brands, including Wei Chuan, according to Xinhua.

In 2002, Ting Hsin International Group authorized Wei Chuan to produce instant noodles under the Master Kong brand in the Taiwan market, because Ting Hsin lacked production facilities in Taiwan during that period, according to Chen.

In response to the latest food scandal, Wei Chuan ordered a recall on September 4 and is offering refunds for 12 types of possibly contaminated products in Taiwan including dried meat floss, meat sauce and meat crisp.

Shares of Ting Hsin declined by 1.86 percent in Hong Kong on Tuesday compared with the previous trading day.

Wei Chuan could not be reached for comment on Tuesday.

The recent gutter oil scandal has had a negative impact on Chinese consumers' confidence in Taiwan food.

"I will be more careful about buying food products from Taiwan on e-commerce websites," Li Ming, a 29-year-old editor in Beijing, who usually purchases Taiwan food on taobao.com, one of the country's largest consumer-to-consumer e-commerce websites, told the Global Times on Tuesday.

An insider told the Global Times in a previous interview that consumers might still buy food products made with tainted oil through online shopping platforms, because those tainted products wouldn't be registered and therefore are not classified as imported food. This means it would not be inspected by the Chinese mainland food supervisor.

Searches for "roasted pork noodles with scallion produced in Taiwan" on taobao.com brought up only one result on the platform on Tuesday. The retailer of the online store selling the product said all its products are purchased at Kinmen, an offshore county in Taiwan, and then transported to Xiamen, East China's Fujian Province.