TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Health Minister Hsueh Jui-yuan (薛瑞元) on Thursday (Oct. 19) said that the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) has expressed its dissatisfaction at the way American pork has been sensationalized in Taiwan as "ractopamine pork" and "poisoned pork."

Before attending a meeting of the Legislative Yuan's Social Welfare and Environmental Hygiene Committee on Thursday, Hsueh was asked by a member of the media whether the hype over legally imported American pork as "ractopamine pork" or "poisoned pork" has caused trade tensions with the U.S, reported CNA. Hsueh said that it is indeed possible that the negative hype over U.S. pork has led to trade obstacles with the U.S. "because we sometimes receive protests from the AIT questioning why Taiwan is doing this."

When asked whether the AIT used strong words, Hsueh said that it "expressed dissatisfaction."

Hsueh said that Taiwan has been importing pork from the U.S. for a long time and businesses are not willing to import pork that contains ractopamine. Therefore, Hseuh concluded that U.S. pork is safe for consumption.

If there is false labeling of the origin of the American pork, the government will investigate and punish those responsible, said Hsueh. However, he expressed his hope that the public would not label U.S. pork as unsafe, as this could lead to discrimination in international trade.