Taiwan has announced it is lifting a temporary ban on the import of animal oils and fats from Viet Nam starting on January 1, 2019, according to the Ministry of Industry and Trade’s Asia – Africa Market Department.

At the end of 2014, after cases of Viet Nam’s oil exports not meeting Taiwanese import standards, Taiwan announced temporary management measures. Taiwan temporarily halted imports of beef, pork, goat and sheep oils and fats from Viet Nam.

The Ministry of Industry and Trade has actively co-ordinated with relevant Vietnamese agencies to work with Taiwan to lift the ban.

The ministry said Taiwan has amended its Regulation for Systematic Inspection of Imported Food, extending the scope of imported products subject to inspection to include imported egg and animal oil products. The new measure will come into effect on January 1, 2019.

The Taiwan Food and Drug Administration (TFDA) said the food safety management system of countries that intend to export egg and animal oil products to Taiwan should be qualified by TFDA’s systematic inspection, according to an announcement by Taiwan’s Ministry of Health and Welfare (MOHW) on September 17.

Only products from qualified export countries and establishments will be accepted by the TFDA for import inspection. All products that are confirmed to meet standards set by the Act Governing Food Safety and Sanitation and other related regulations are allowed to enter Taiwan’s markets. — VNS