Apple Sidra Manufacturer Fined for Contaminated Soda|"蘋果西打"變質未通報 遭重罰百萬

Hundred cases of contaminated Apple Sidra have been reported in recent months. Starting in July, the manufacturer of the popular beverage began receiving complaints, but did not report them to New Taipei City's Department of Health. The department has therefore fined the company NT$ 1 million, and so far 420,000 bottles have been removed from shelves


A supermarket employee removes bottles of popular local beverage Apple Sidra from shelves. Numerous complaints about sour or contaminated Apple Sidra have been reported in recent months. New Taipei City's Department of Health investigated, and determined the contamination may have been caused by faulty equipment at the manufacturer's factory. A lawmaker also conducted an investigation, and found the manufacturer, Oceanic Beverages Company, had discussed problems with Apple Sidra in internal memos in September. However, it continued selling the beverage until Nov. 13.

What can we do to make our manufacturers take more responsibility for selling beverages in this condition and ensure they won't get away with this?

Several lawmakers also accused New Taipei City's Department of Health of helping the manufacturer to cover up the incident. The department convened a press conference to clarify the facts. It said it received the first complaint about impurities in Apple Sidra on Aug. 30, although the content was unclear. On Sept. 4, it received a second complaint, and therefore it sent health officials to test the beverage on Sept. 14. No issues were found. On Oct. 16 and Nov. 2, it received additional complaints. As the manufacturer's factory is located in Taoyuan City, New Taipei City's Department of Health asked the Taoyuan City Government twice to follow up. It has not yet received a response. Moreover, the manufacturer did not notify health authorities about possible issues even though it also received complaints from the public. As such, the department has fined Oceanic Beverages Company NT$ 1 million.

The company began receiving successive complaints in July and discovered abnormalities with the beverage. However, it did not report this to the Department of Health. We have therefore issued a fine of NT$ 1 million.

The Department of Health fined us for an oversight. We of course comply with requirements. We will handle this in accordance with standard procedures.

Between July and September, Oceanic Beverages Company manufactured 2.35 million bottles of Apple Sidra in 2,000 cc bottles. So far, 420,000 bottles have been recalled. Meanwhile, Taoyuan City's Department of Public Health says it conducted an inspection of the factory on Nov. 12 and discovered a barrel used for mixing raw materials and forming part of an assembly line was damaged. It also took samples for testing.