According to the Council of Agriculture, the annual expo, now in its ninth year, will display 156 top-quality products selected by experts and academics from among over 300 submitted by 95 farmers’ and fishermen’s associations across the nation.
Recent concerns over food quality in the wake of a scandal involving edible oils have spurred the COA to implement stricter measures.
“We require that producers attach a food safety certificate to every item displayed,” said Chang Chih-sheng, director of the COA Farmer’s Service Department. “We also double-checked the quality of these products.”
The standards include requiring the best possible ingredients, production and final packaging. “In other words, quality is the benchmark for the entire process,” Chang said.
The four-day expo includes nine product lines—fruits, tea, rice, cuisine, LOHAS food and beverage, wines, sea food, dried foods and gift boxes.
Encouraged by NT$250 million (US$8.3 million) in sales at the 2013 event, the COA estimates sales this year could reach NT$280 million, according to Liu Hsiang-cheng, a technical specialist with the agency.
Statistics show that corporations were responsible for 60 percent of purchases, with members of the public taking home the remainder.
Utilizing innovations in packaging and the best production techniques available could improve products’ profitability by 10 percent or more, Liu said. (SSC-MJH)
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