More than 200,000 people gathered on Ketagalan Boulevard in Taipei to protest the government's handling of a tainted cooking oil scandal, according to organizers. The protest was organized by the Kuomintang (KMT), Taiwan's main opposition party.
Protesters demanded answers from the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) government and called for Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te to apologize and for Premier Cho Jung-tai to resign.
The protest was sparked by the discovery of excessive levels of benzo[a]pyrene, a carcinogen, in batches of raw soybean cooking oil supplied by Central Union Oil, a Taichung-based edible oil supplier. Taiwan's Food and Drug Administration (TFDA) confirmed that a batch of 'soybean salad oil' contained 8.1 micrograms per kg of benzo[a]pyrene, more than four times the legal limit of 2 micrograms per kg.
More than 500 products linked to the contaminated oil were pulled from shelves.
Over 1,300 businesses were affected by the recall, and about 1,300 metric tonnes of the affected oil were distributed to three food manufacturers between April and June. Central Union Oil was fined NT$165.2 million (US$5.2 million) over the incident.
"Failure to ensure food safety. Covering up health risks," read one slogan at the protest.
The KMT criticized the DPP government for 'cover-ups, opaque decision-making, delays, shifting blame and passing the buck'. Another slogan read: 'Oppose poisonous oil, protect food safety.'
A Legislative Yuan committee approved a motion calling for Premier Cho Jung-tai, Minister of Health and Welfare Shih Chung-liang, and TFDA Director-General Chiang Chih-kang to step down. Huang Kuo-chang, a politician from the Taiwan People's Party, also demanded that Premier Cho step down and take responsibility.
Premier Cho Jung-tai denied claims of attempting to protect manufacturers by concealing information. Taiwanese Cabinet spokesperson Michelle Lee said the Cabinet proposed amendments to the Act governing food safety and sanitation.
The protest was the largest opposition rally since Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te came to power two years ago. According to some analysts, Taipei mayor Wayne Chiang Wan-an emerged as the biggest political winner from the protest.