Taiwanese instant noodle maker pulls products amid tainted-oil fears

Taiwan-based food giant Uni-President will pull 19 product lines from shop shelves over fears that the food was made using tainted cooking oil.

Of the 19 products, 17 are instant noodles. The other two are snacks sold at Taiwan's 7-Eleven convenience stores.

The firm will give refunds if buyers can produce a receipt.

Uni-President said in a statement yesterday that it bought 5.57 tonnes of cooking oil in June from Ting Hsin International Group, a major lard supplier that imported low-quality oil from a Vietnamese supplier. The admission came a day after Taiwanese prosecutors said a Vietnamese supplier had passed off oil intended for animal feed as fit for human consumption.

Ting Hsin imported 18 batches of the oil in June and July, according to the island's Food and Drug Administration.

Wei Ying-chun, head of a Ting Hsin food firm, was charged last week with deliberately selling adulterated cooking oil.