New GMP Certification System to Enter Force in Late January
Source: Focus Taiwan
The Industrial Development Bureau unveiled Thursday a plan to revamp the Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) certification system by the end of this month, a move aimed at recapturing consumer confidence in the government’s certifications.
The reformed system centers on four main points: issuing certificates only for companies that meet guidelines, improvement management of places of origin, strengthening product traceability systems, and meeting international standards.
Manufacturers who already have GMP certification will be given a one-year grace period to improve their production practices to the new standards, said the Bureau’s Deputy Director Lien Ching-Chung.
After that year is up, manufacturers will have to conform to strict controls as the new system comes into place, he said.
The head of the Food GMP Development Association of Taiwan will be advised by scholars and experts, Lien added, expressing hope that the reforms will rebuild confidence after GMP-labeled products became the focus of several food safety scandals.
Bonnie Sun, a distinguished professor at National Taiwan University’s Department of Food Science, has been recommended to take the organization’s top post.
According to Sun, the association will not be responsible for GMP certification, but for promoting the GMP program.
Thursday’s announcement is the result of a special task force set up last year following the various food scandals, including a major scandal over adulterated cooking oil that had a GMP label.
Written by Huang Chiao-wen and Y.L. Kao
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