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Food Traceability
Taiwan's government began promoting food traceability in 1994 with the launching of the Taiwan Good Agricultural Practice (TGAP) certification for fruits and vegetables. In 2006, TGAP was integrated into the Certified Agricultural Standards (CAS) system—now a byword for premium local products. CAS was launched in 1989 to raise the quality of locally produced agricultural products and processed foods. To obtain CAS certification, manufacturers must meet specific standards for facilities, quality control, and health and safety, and are also required to use a certain proportion of locally produced raw materials. As of 2006, more than 270 manufacturers with 6,100 products had obtained CAS certification, representing a production value of over US$1.23 billion.
Organic farming has been growing in popularity in recent years. This organic farm located in a valley in Hsinchu is supported by a Catholic organization.Organic farming, a steadily expanding industry in Taiwan, represents another building block in the traceability system. As of 2006, more than 1,700 hectares of farmland had been certified for organic agricultural production of rice, vegetables, fruits, and tea amongst others. The COA has approved four organizations to carry out certification of organic products: the Mokichi Okada International Association, Taiwan Organic Production Association, Tse-Xin Organic Agriculture Foundation, and Taiwan Formosa Organic Association.
In June 2007, the COA announced the launch of three new certification logos—TAP, OTAP, and UTAP—which indicate traceable, organic, and premium agricultural products, respectively. The COA has announced that by 2010, all other certification logos would be integrated under the new three logos, with CAS certification being replaced by UTAP.
Since 2004, the COA has also been helping farmers make details of their products' histories available online. By keying in a product's traceable code, consumers are able to access details of a product's history at kiosks situated in supermarkets and shopping centers, on the COA's Taiwan Agriculture Food Traceability System website (http://taft.coa.gov.tw), or via Internet-enabled cell phones.
The implementation of food traceability systems has not only enhanced consumer confidence domestically, but also makes Taiwan's agricultural products more competitive in the global market. In order to match export standards in Japan, Europe, and North America, the government aims to make traceability mandatory for all agricultural products by 2015. It is also preparing to introduce the EAN-128 bar code—a system used globally to store product details, such as production dates, batch numbers, weight, quantity and dimensions—for use on Taiwan's agricultural exports.