Thank you, we did it together! The Ministry of Weifu announced that it would suspend the addition of the residue tolerance standard of pesticide Jiaposai.

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Every tiny action could be the key to turning society around.

On August 2, 2019, the Ministry of Health and Welfare announced that it would suspend the increase of the allowable amount of pesticide glyphosate residue, temporarily ending the revision of the regulations that had been troubled for nearly 100 days. This victory was entirely due to the joint efforts of people concerned about agriculture and food safety in Taiwan.

Glyphosate, developed by Monsanto in the United States and available for more than 40 years, is still the most popular and used herbicide in the world. In March 2015, after the International Center for Research on Cancer under the World Health Organization listed it as a Class 2A substance with "possible carcinogenic risk to humans", the long-standing controversy about the negative effects of glyphosate on human health gradually surfaced.

After Bayer successfully acquired Monsanto in June 2018, it immediately faced more than 1,000 carcinogenic lawsuits against glyphosate, bringing the controversy over glyphosate to a peak. Within a short period of one year, Bayer suffered three consecutive defeats in California, USA. Not only did the total amount of damages reach 200 million US dollars, but the stock price dropped by nearly 40%. The evidence uncovered in all three lawsuits shows that Monsanto not only tried to block scientific investigations for a long time, but also allegedly concealed evidence and distorted the report's conclusions.

At this critical moment, it is really puzzling that the Food and Drug Administration of the Ministry of Health and Welfare has indicated that it will add a residue tolerance standard for glyphosate. Although the implementation was suspended this time under the opposition pressure of citizen groups and the public, it is difficult to guarantee that there will be no future disputes. How to establish a citizen participation mechanism and bring it into the discussion of cross-domain stakeholders is the fundamental way for the responsible authorities and the consumer masses to move forward together in a sustainable way.

The same dilemma of citizen participation is faced by the review of genetically modified foods linked to the herbicide glyphosate.

The assessment and examination of genetically modified foods are professional. Recently, the Ministry of Health and Welfare invited experts and scholars to form a "genetically modified food review group". Through regular review meetings, it decides whether to approve imports. However, in the face of the highly controversial nature of GM technology and widespread public concern about the risks of GM foods, such mechanisms completely block the room for consumers to speak out. Although in June 2017, in response to the long-standing request of civil society, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) published for the first time the "List of Cases under Review of GM Food Ingredients", which can be regarded as a major progress for consumers 'right to know about food, the public can only learn through regular announcements that there are currently applications for GM food ingredients such as potatoes, papayas, sugar cane, soybeans, corn and cotton.

Starting from October 2104, when we launched the initiative of "withdrawing genetically modified foods from school lunches," we promoted the Legislative Yuan to amend the School Health Law to explicitly prohibit the use of genetically modified foods in school lunches, participated in requesting the Food and Drug Administration to revise the labeling system of genetically modified foods and publish the review list of genetically modified foods, established a link between Taiwan, Japan and South Korea's civil anti-genetic modification movement, and even joined hands with the public to block the addition of the standard bill on the allowable level of food residues in Jiapo. Each time the results may be very small, but step by step forward, always see the bright sky ahead.

We believe that if you are willing to act, you will eventually make a difference.

"The Ministry of Health and Welfare added a broad pesticide residue tolerance standard" memorabilia

23 April 2019

The Ministry of Health and Welfare announced the revision of the "Pesticide Residue Tolerance Standard", which added the allowable level of phosphorus residue in ten miscellaneous grain crops such as oat, buckwheat and barley, and proposed to adjust it from no detection to 10ppm.

25 April 2019

Upstream and downstream news market first to launch exclusive report "Taiwan intends to significantly relax herbicide pesticide residues!" Import wheat oats and other 10 miscellaneous grains, the maximum allowable 10 ppm.

9 May 2019

Non-governmental organizations such as Taiwan Non-base Reform Promotion Alliance and School Lunch Non-base Action launched the "I firmly oppose the FDA's addition of Carbothamide residue tolerance standards" action

on May 15,2019

Non-governmental organizations such as Taiwan Non-base Reform Promotion Alliance, School Lunch and Non-base Action held a press conference on "Food Safety, No Concession, and Resolutely Oppose Updating the Allowance for Residues of Phosphorothioate"

1 June 2019

Avaaz launched the platform "Would you like to eat residual grains of phosphorus?" joint signer

24 June 2019

60-day notice period ends

July 30, 2019

The school lunch non-basic action team wrote to the mailbox of the Minister of Health and Welfare in their own name, asking for follow-up procedures.

August 2, 2019 (in order of events on that day)

A letter from the Public Policy Network Participation Platform stating that "the authorities have the latest response (published on August 2)"

Ministry of Health and Welfare issued "Revise pesticide residue tolerance standard, strengthen pesticide residue management in food." announcement

Upstream and downstream news market launched "No relaxation!" Food and Drug Administration suspends revision of standards for phosphorus, civic groups affirm hope for future inclusion of civic participation

The Ministry of Health has not yet officially replied to the letter