- More than 200,000 people gathered on Ketagalan Boulevard to demand answers over the government’s handling of the scandal, after over 500 products linked to contaminated soybean oil were pulled from shelves earlier this month.
- Protesters accused the government of mishandling a scandal involving soybean salad oil found to contain excessive levels of the carcinogen benzo[a]pyrene, demanding that Lai apologise and Premier Cho Jung-tai resign.
- Excessive levels of benzo[a]pyrene were found in batches of raw soybean cooking oil, prompting more than 500 products to be pulled from shelves and affecting over 1,300 businesses.
- Food safety is a basic human right, and the KMT party stated that people simply wanted food that was safe to eat and did not cause cancer.
- The KMT also criticized the DPP government for cover-ups, opaque decision-making, delays, shifting blame and passing the buck.
- Earlier this month, a Legislative Yuan committee had approved a motion proposed by opposition lawmakers calling for Premier Cho Jung-tai, Taiwan’s Minister of Health and Welfare Shih Chung-liang and TFDA’s Director-General Chiang Chih-kang to step down.
More than 200,000 people gathered in Taipei on July 25, 2026, for a massive rally organized by the Kuomintang (KMT) opposition party, protesting the government's handling of a tainted cooking oil scandal. The demonstration, described as the largest opposition rally since Taiwanese leader William Lai Ching-te took office, took place outside his office.12
Protesters accused the government of mishandling the scandal involving soybean salad oil, which was found to contain excessive levels of the carcinogen benzo[a]pyrene. This led to the recall of over 500 products and affected more than 1,300 businesses. The KMT demanded an apology from Lai and called for the resignation of Premier Cho Jung-tai.34
The rally's significance was underscored by its ability to unite the KMT and the smaller opposition Taiwan People’s Party around a common cause. The KMT emphasized that “Food safety is a basic human right” and that citizens should not have to risk their lives for safe food. In response to the scandal, Central Union Oil was fined NT$165.2 million (US$5.2 million) for its role in the incident, where about 1,300 metric tonnes of affected oil contained 8.1 micrograms per kg of benzo[a]pyrene, exceeding Taiwan's legal limit of 2 micrograms per kg.5
“Protesters are calling for Premier Cho Jung-tai to resign and for President Lai Ching-te to apologise for the government's mishandling of the food safety crisis. The scandal has affected over 1,300 businesses, with excessive levels of benzo[a]pyrene found in batches of soybean oil, prompting the recall of more than 500 products.”
South China Morning Post
