TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Following reports about Chinese authorities demanding Taiwanese pastry manufacturers to provide recipes for import, the Ministry of Health and Welfare (MOHW) confirmed on Wednesday (Dec. 14) that the requirement is unique to Taiwanese businesses only.

According to an earlier report, pastry chain Chia Te Bakery, known for its pineapple pastries, decided against submitting supplementary information to renew its import license in China. The company said it was required to provide factory specifications, the number of employees in Taiwan, and specifically, the ratio of ingredients in a pineapple pastry, including how much sugar and cream are used.

Radio Taiwan International reported that MOHW Minister Hsueh Jui-yuan (薛瑞元) said that non-Taiwanese pastry makers' Chinese import license applications, which can be submitted online, specify that questions about recipes are non-required fields. However, the Taiwanese application for pastries can only be submitted offline, and the instructions for those applications include the statement, "information in application is required to be complete."

“So that makes every field required,” said Hsueh.

He was asked if ingredient ratio specifications constitute a “recipe.” To some businesses, they may be the same, but to others, they may not, he was cited as saying.

Aside from asking for a list of ingredients and their ratio, the application form provided by China also asks for descriptions of products' manufacturing and processing procedures and specifications "such as cleaning, time and temperature for hot or cold processes, marinade, dehydration, and packaging." Additionally, applicants must provide "a clear diagram of the processing procedure" as an attachment.

In response to netizens who questioned why pastry businesses do not simply skip the fields on the application, attorney Lin Chih-chun (林智群) posted on Facebook to say though the recipe requirements are not a formal ban, they are an effective ban on Taiwanese pastry makers. "Sure you can (apply without including the recipe)! And (China) can deny the application!" he wrote, explaining that by making businesses hand over trade secrets, Chinese authorities would say, "But it's you, the Taiwanese company that didn't submit the supplementary paperwork! Not me, China, who banned you from importing!"

When asked why the MOHW did not protest China’s unreasonable requirement when the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) received the updated registration form from China in March, Hsueh said there were voices of opposition within the ministry. “They all went to the WTO (World Trade Organization), but is that useful?”

Meanwhile, the news of Chinese products such as white radish, jasmine, and food containers failing Taiwan FDA’s import inspection has been widely regarded as Taiwan’s retaliation against China. However, Hsueh denied such a thing, asking, “If a product’s quality does not meet standards or has excessive pesticide, do we still let it in?”