Legislator Suspects Chinese Vegetables 'Origin Laundering', Ministry of Agriculture: Isotope Testing to Be Included
A Taiwanese legislator raised concerns about suspected "origin laundering" of Chinese vegetables via Vietnam, impacting local farmers and food safety. The Minister of Agriculture stated that isotope testing would be included in inspections and a database for Vietnamese vegetables would be built.
📋 Article Processing Timeline
- 📰 Published: April 29, 2026 at 17:38
- 🔍 Collected: April 29, 2026 at 18:01 (23 min after Published)
- 🤖 AI Analyzed: April 29, 2026 at 23:23 (5h 22m after Collected)
Central News
(Central News Agency, Taipei, 29th) Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Chiu Yi-ying stated today that some importers are suspected of purchasing Chinese mainland vegetables and "laundering their origin" through Vietnam to Taiwan, affecting Taiwanese vegetable farmers and posing a challenge to food safety. Minister of Agriculture Chen Chun-chi said that a comparative database would be established, and isotope testing would be included in basic inspections.
The Legislative Yuan's Economic Committee arranged for Chen Chun-chi to report on the "Ministry of Agriculture's 2026 Administrative Plan and Revenue and Expenditure Budget" and be questioned.
Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Chiu Yi-ying questioned that the import of vegetables from Vietnam to Taiwan has surged, even exceeding Vietnam's local production. For example, in 2024, 80,000 tons of cabbage and Chinese cabbage were imported from Vietnam, with cabbage increasing by 10,000 tons annually for three consecutive years, and Chinese cabbage imports more than doubling.
Chiu Yi-ying also cited mushrooms as an example: Vietnam's annual mushroom production is only 7.5 tons, but in 2023, 955 tons were imported into Taiwan, suspected to be mostly transshipped from China. Moreover, a fake certificate of origin from Vietnam can be obtained for each container for only NT$13,000, allowing Chinese vegetables to legally enter Taiwan. It is estimated that the exorbitant profit for one container can reach NT$200,000 to NT$500,000.
Chiu Yi-ying said that these "origin-laundered" vegetables not only affect Taiwanese vegetable farmers but also, due to the lack of pesticide testing, mostly flow into mass catering and school lunches, posing a major challenge to food safety.
In addition, Chiu Yi-ying displayed vegetables grown by Taiwanese businesses in Vietnam, which were confirmed not to be from China through third-party isotope testing; she hopes the Ministry of Agriculture can adopt the same approach to prevent Chinese vegetables from being "origin-laundered" into Taiwan.
Chen Chun-chi stated that he agrees to include isotope testing in the basic inspections for high-risk imported vegetable items; however, he also admitted that it is difficult to distinguish vegetables grown on the border between Vietnam and China.
Chen Chun-chi said that the Ministry of Agriculture is actively trying to establish a comparative database for Vietnamese vegetables, but in terms of sampling, it has been interfered with by Vietnam. Vietnam only arranges sampling at designated locations, but the Ministry of Agriculture believes that sampling across the entire production area would be effective for comparison, and communication is currently ongoing. At the same time, they are also obtaining samples with the assistance of Taiwanese businesses; at this stage, if customs have doubts about the origin, they will delay release.
Chen Chun-chi stated that he has asked the Agricultural Research Institute to purchase satellite aerial photography data of Vietnamese vegetable production areas and analyze their output. If the quantity exported to Taiwan far exceeds Vietnam's production, mechanisms will be used to address it. (Editor: Wu Su-jou) 1150429
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(Central News Agency, Taipei, 29th) Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Chiu Yi-ying stated today that some importers are suspected of purchasing Chinese mainland vegetables and "laundering their origin" through Vietnam to Taiwan, affecting Taiwanese vegetable farmers and posing a challenge to food safety. Minister of Agriculture Chen Chun-chi said that a comparative database would be established, and isotope testing would be included in basic inspections.
The Legislative Yuan's Economic Committee arranged for Chen Chun-chi to report on the "Ministry of Agriculture's 2026 Administrative Plan and Revenue and Expenditure Budget" and be questioned.
Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Chiu Yi-ying questioned that the import of vegetables from Vietnam to Taiwan has surged, even exceeding Vietnam's local production. For example, in 2024, 80,000 tons of cabbage and Chinese cabbage were imported from Vietnam, with cabbage increasing by 10,000 tons annually for three consecutive years, and Chinese cabbage imports more than doubling.
Chiu Yi-ying also cited mushrooms as an example: Vietnam's annual mushroom production is only 7.5 tons, but in 2023, 955 tons were imported into Taiwan, suspected to be mostly transshipped from China. Moreover, a fake certificate of origin from Vietnam can be obtained for each container for only NT$13,000, allowing Chinese vegetables to legally enter Taiwan. It is estimated that the exorbitant profit for one container can reach NT$200,000 to NT$500,000.
Chiu Yi-ying said that these "origin-laundered" vegetables not only affect Taiwanese vegetable farmers but also, due to the lack of pesticide testing, mostly flow into mass catering and school lunches, posing a major challenge to food safety.
In addition, Chiu Yi-ying displayed vegetables grown by Taiwanese businesses in Vietnam, which were confirmed not to be from China through third-party isotope testing; she hopes the Ministry of Agriculture can adopt the same approach to prevent Chinese vegetables from being "origin-laundered" into Taiwan.
Chen Chun-chi stated that he agrees to include isotope testing in the basic inspections for high-risk imported vegetable items; however, he also admitted that it is difficult to distinguish vegetables grown on the border between Vietnam and China.
Chen Chun-chi said that the Ministry of Agriculture is actively trying to establish a comparative database for Vietnamese vegetables, but in terms of sampling, it has been interfered with by Vietnam. Vietnam only arranges sampling at designated locations, but the Ministry of Agriculture believes that sampling across the entire production area would be effective for comparison, and communication is currently ongoing. At the same time, they are also obtaining samples with the assistance of Taiwanese businesses; at this stage, if customs have doubts about the origin, they will delay release.
Chen Chun-chi stated that he has asked the Agricultural Research Institute to purchase satellite aerial photography data of Vietnamese vegetable production areas and analyze their output. If the quantity exported to Taiwan far exceeds Vietnam's production, mechanisms will be used to address it. (Editor: Wu Su-jou) 1150429
Choose to stand with facts, every sponsorship you make is a force to protect press freedom.
Download the Central News Agency's "First-hand News" APP to stay updated with the latest news.
The text, images, and audio-visual content on this website may not be reproduced, publicly broadcast, or publicly transmitted and utilized without authorization.