Free lectures》The health bureau detected toxins and issued fines, but Jiang Wanan said he was qualified?

During the Taipei Mayoral Debate, Taipei Mayor Chiang Wanan faced the controversy over the safety of nutritious school lunches and claimed that many schools had been accused of food poisoning, but all subsequent inspections were fully qualified. (File photo)

During the October 31 mayoral election debate, Taipei Mayor Chiang Wanan faced the controversy over the safety of nutritious school lunches and claimed that many schools were accused of food poisoning, but all subsequent inspections were fully qualified. However, the "Hot Food Department Compensation and Compensation Collection Announcement" released by Taipei Municipal Chengyuan High School on October 29 clearly stated that the nutritious lunch provided on September 7 caused a "food poisoning incident", and the manufacturer and insurance company will handle the claim. What’s even more puzzling is that this was not a unilateral determination by the school. The Taipei City Health Bureau announced the test results as early as September 18th, confirming that Staphylococcus aureus enterotoxin B was found in the lunch box samples, and fined the operator NT$180,000. The city government's own inspection report has confirmed food safety problems, but the mayor summarized the inspection in a public debate more than a month later and claimed that the inspection was qualified. Is it because he did not have the municipal information, or was his explanation to the outside world inaccurate?

The "Hot Food Department Compensation and Compensation Collection Announcement" issued by Chengyuan High School clearly states that the nutritious lunch provided on September 7 caused a "food poisoning incident" and that the manufacturer and insurance company will handle the claims. (Extracted from the announcement of the Academic Affairs Office of Chengyuan High School)

The Seongyeon High School incident occurred on September 7. At that time, 87 students began to suffer from diarrhea and other symptoms after eating lunch. The Health Bureau subsequently detected Staphylococcus aureus enterotoxin B, and the Education Bureau also requested a complete termination of the contract with the catering manufacturer. The school’s announcement on October 29 also listed the specific compensation standards. Those who feel unwell after eating and seek medical treatment on the same day will receive 4,000 yuan per person; those who feel unwell but do not seek medical treatment will receive 2,000 yuan per person; even if there are no symptoms, you can still receive 400 yuan. These are administrative actions that can be verified and are not accusations made out of thin air by election opponents. In particular, the Taiwan Fact Checking Center has pointed out that Chiang Wanan's general statement in the debate that the inspection was fully qualified is partially inconsistent with the verification information. Of course, the mayor can explain the test results of other schools, but he cannot let the Sungyeon High School incident, which has already experienced toxins, disappear from his policy narrative just because no abnormality was detected in some cases.

What is even more worthy of questioning is that Seongyuan High School did not announce the test results after the debate was over, but the city health bureau explained it to the public as early as September 18. It was more than a month between the inspection announcement and the mayor's debate; it was only two days between the school's compensation announcement and the debate. As the mayor, shouldn’t he have complete information on major events involving student health, food inspections, industry penalties and contract termination? If even the cases that the city government has officially adjudicated can be summarized as passing inspection in the debate, then how can citizens trust the mayor's explanation of other policy achievements? Campus food safety is not a number that can be brushed aside lightly in election debates, nor is it a public responsibility that can be resolved with just "inspections passed." The student's physical discomfort is a real thing, and the test results and compensation procedures are also officially recorded. The most basic responsibility of politicians is to face these facts faithfully.

The Taiwan Fact Checking Center pointed out that Chiang Wanan’s general statement in the debate that the inspection was fully qualified was partially inconsistent with the verification information. (Taken from Taiwan Fact Checking Center)

The free nutritious lunch policy can be discussed, and the meal supply system can also be continuously improved, but the food security of students should not be diluted because of election offenses and defenses. Jiang Wanan should publicly clarify the arguments in the debate and fully explain the inspection results of the Chengyuan High School incident, the manufacturer's responsibility, the progress of claims settlement, and the improvement measures for school meals in the city. If it is a slip of the tongue, it should be corrected; if there is insufficient information, the city government's internal reporting mechanism should be reviewed. What citizens expect is not a mayor who always claims that there are no problems in governance, but a mayor who is willing to admit, explain and improve when faced with problems. When the school notice states that there is food poisoning and the health bureau reports that toxins have been detected, the mayor cannot just leave the impression of "passing the inspection." Election debates can be fought over, but students' health and citizens' right to know cannot become victims of political rhetoric.

(The author is a freelance reviewer)