CRI听力:Taiwan Cooking Oil Investigation Continues

Taiwan's "gutter oil" scandal continues to grow, with a further 195 food manufacturers identified as having used recycled waste oil, on top of 235 companies identified earlier.

Taiwan's food and drug watchdog says more than 900 restaurants, bakeries and food plants had used the tainted oil supplied by Chang Guann.

Nearly 800 tons of oil products have been confirmed problematic, with 140 tons already sealed.

Local authorities are stepping up efforts to trace the whereabouts of the rest of the product.

Yeh Ming Kung is Chairman of Taiwan's food and drug watchdog.

"We have found a notebook in Chang Guann, on which every transaction is marked with a distinctive symbol. We asked them what companies the symbols refer to. They have no choice but tell us and we write them down."

Meanwhile, officials from Hong Kong and Macao Special Administrative Regions also reported certain food manufactures using the problematic lard, and inspections are being conducted.

Mainland authorities have confirmed that no companies on the mainland have imported the problematic products.

But it has ordered local authorities to suspend inspection applications filed by the affected companies and restaurants, and carefully examine their past export records.

Taiwan police busted a six-person ring selling recycled waste oil made from kitchen waste and grease from leather-processing plants in Kaohsiung and neighboring Pingtung.

Their products were sold to a number of oil suppliers, including Chang Guann.