DPP Legislators Concerned About Chinese Mushroom Origin Washing Impacting Taiwan, Urge Government for Concrete Prevention
DPP Legislators He Hsin-chun and Chiu Yi-ying expressed concern that Chinese mushrooms are being origin-washed through third countries into Taiwan, harming local mushroom farmers and consumer food safety. They urged the Ministry of Agriculture to propose a concrete prevention plan within one month.
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- 📰 Published: May 4, 2026 at 18:38
- 🔍 Collected: May 4, 2026 at 19:01 (23 min after Published)
- 🤖 AI Analyzed: May 4, 2026 at 19:14 (13 min after Collected)
Taipei, May 4 (CNA) Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislators He Hsin-chun and Chiu Yi-ying today stated that to prevent Chinese mushrooms from being origin-washed through third countries and imported into Taiwan, which impacts local mushroom farmers and consumer food safety rights, they urge the Ministry of Agriculture to propose a concrete prevention plan within one month.
He Hsin-chun and Chiu Yi-ying invited various ministries and agencies, including the Ministry of Agriculture, as well as representatives from the Taiwan Mushroom Development Association and Vietnamese Taiwanese businesses, and local mushroom farmers, to jointly hold a public hearing at the Legislative Yuan titled “Ending the Chaos of Origin Washing, Aligning with International Scientific Testing Standards.” They then issued a press release after the meeting, stating the above claims.
He Hsin-chun stated that Taichung is one of Taiwan’s most important mushroom production areas, especially Xinshe mushrooms, which account for 63% of the national output. If low-priced, unidentified origin-washed mushrooms flow into the market, it will not only hurt local mushroom farmers but also affect consumer food safety.
He Hsin-chun pointed out that Taiwan has long prohibited the import of Chinese mushrooms, but local mushroom farmers continuously report that Chinese mushrooms are still suspected of entering Taiwan by being routed through third countries like Vietnam. Furthermore, current regulations under the Kinmen-Matsu mini-three links allow individuals to carry 1 kilogram of dried mushrooms per visit, which, without limits on entry frequency, could be exploited by unscrupulous individuals as a loophole for “ant-moving style” origin washing and smuggling.
He Hsin-chun said that facing increasingly complex origin-washing methods, she urges the Ministry of Agriculture to propose countermeasures within one month. These include introducing scientific traceability methods such as stable isotope analysis, and considering whether to reduce the duty-free allowance to 500 grams or specify the number of times an individual can carry items per day, to prevent malicious individuals from exploiting loopholes in the mechanism and protect Taiwan’s mushroom industry.
Chiu Yi-ying pointed out that she had already questioned the issue of origin washing of Vietnamese vegetables in the Economic Committee last week, indicating that the pattern of Chinese agricultural products being transshipped through third countries into Taiwan is gradually expanding. This reflects that there are still structural gaps in the current border control and origin certification mechanisms. If these are not strengthened institutionally, similar problems will continue to occur with different agricultural products.
Chiu Yi-ying believes that from Vietnamese vegetables to mushrooms, the issue of origin washing shows a trend of cross-category and cross-path development. The government should respond with an overall strategy, perfecting border control and origin verification mechanisms, to stabilize agricultural market order and ensure public food safety. (Editor: Wan Shu-chang) 1150504
He Hsin-chun and Chiu Yi-ying invited various ministries and agencies, including the Ministry of Agriculture, as well as representatives from the Taiwan Mushroom Development Association and Vietnamese Taiwanese businesses, and local mushroom farmers, to jointly hold a public hearing at the Legislative Yuan titled “Ending the Chaos of Origin Washing, Aligning with International Scientific Testing Standards.” They then issued a press release after the meeting, stating the above claims.
He Hsin-chun stated that Taichung is one of Taiwan’s most important mushroom production areas, especially Xinshe mushrooms, which account for 63% of the national output. If low-priced, unidentified origin-washed mushrooms flow into the market, it will not only hurt local mushroom farmers but also affect consumer food safety.
He Hsin-chun pointed out that Taiwan has long prohibited the import of Chinese mushrooms, but local mushroom farmers continuously report that Chinese mushrooms are still suspected of entering Taiwan by being routed through third countries like Vietnam. Furthermore, current regulations under the Kinmen-Matsu mini-three links allow individuals to carry 1 kilogram of dried mushrooms per visit, which, without limits on entry frequency, could be exploited by unscrupulous individuals as a loophole for “ant-moving style” origin washing and smuggling.
He Hsin-chun said that facing increasingly complex origin-washing methods, she urges the Ministry of Agriculture to propose countermeasures within one month. These include introducing scientific traceability methods such as stable isotope analysis, and considering whether to reduce the duty-free allowance to 500 grams or specify the number of times an individual can carry items per day, to prevent malicious individuals from exploiting loopholes in the mechanism and protect Taiwan’s mushroom industry.
Chiu Yi-ying pointed out that she had already questioned the issue of origin washing of Vietnamese vegetables in the Economic Committee last week, indicating that the pattern of Chinese agricultural products being transshipped through third countries into Taiwan is gradually expanding. This reflects that there are still structural gaps in the current border control and origin certification mechanisms. If these are not strengthened institutionally, similar problems will continue to occur with different agricultural products.
Chiu Yi-ying believes that from Vietnamese vegetables to mushrooms, the issue of origin washing shows a trend of cross-category and cross-path development. The government should respond with an overall strategy, perfecting border control and origin verification mechanisms, to stabilize agricultural market order and ensure public food safety. (Editor: Wan Shu-chang) 1150504