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October 3, 2007 11:21 AM

Certification Now Required for Organic Food in Taiwan

Michael Fahey

Over the past year, Taiwan has unveiled a new regulatory regime governing the certification of organic foods that will require all organic food products including organic poultry and meats to be certified and registered by February 2009. After this deadline, organic products that do not comply with the new certification or registration requirements will be subject to fines ranging between NT$200,000 (c. US$6000) and NT$1 million (c. US$30,000) for each violation. Under the new laws, the cabinet-level Council of Agriculture has significantly expanded powers of inspection and enforcement to back up those fines. In essence, the Council's role is shifting from away its emphasis on supervising and guiding the development of new production technologies toward a more consumer-oriented regulatory role.

One unfortunate but likely unintentional consequence of this new regulatory environment may potentially take imported organic products off the market at a time when the combination of the new certification requirement and concerns about the safety of imports of cheap agricultural products from China should be driving consumer interest in eating green. Importers need to be aware that as of this writing (Oct. 2007) it is impossible to comply with the new certification requirements because the Council has not yet recognized any international certification bodies.
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