Relax - 5-star Taipei hotels offer outsourced foods as their own

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5-star Taipei hotels offer outsourced foods as their own

The China Post, ANN | Mon, Feb 8 2010

The false ads mislead the public into believing the food is prepared by the hotels' chefs.

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[Above: File photo of a general view in Taipei City.]

TAIPEI, Taiwan - Three five-star hotels in Taipei City have run allegedly false ads for their Chinese New Year delis, misleading the public into believing the food is prepared by their own chefs while in fact it is outsourced to the same supplier, consumer protection officials said yesterday.

The officials did not name the three hotels or their supplier — a food processing company in Sanxia, Taipei County — but said all related parties will be asked to explain their deli promotions later this week.

The hotels, by claiming the food is prepared by their own master chefs, have been able to mark up the prices of their dishes, the officials from Taipei County said.

One of the famous traditional Taiwanese dishes, “Fo Tiao Jiang” (Buddha Jumps Over the Wall), is usually NT$499 (S$22), but the same item packaged as a five-star hotel deli sells for NT$2,000, the officials said.

The officials made the revelation during a press conference presided over by Taipei County Magistrate Chou Hsi-wei concerning their food inspection campaign ahead of Chinese New Year.

The consumer protection officials are running the campaign from a tight budget from the government, and they often have had to use their own money to buy the food samples they wanted tested.

One of the officials, Chen Kun-jung, said he has spent over NT$5,000 of his own money for this campaign so far.

Chen said the consumer protection officials will not rest during the Chinese New Year holiday, and they will step up the inspection of public venues, such as KTVs, to make sure they do not violate any public safety regulations. It is a tradition for families to get together for a feast on Chinese New Year Eve, which falls on Feb. 13 this year.

Families usually prepare their own food. But it is a growing trend in Taiwan for hotels, restaurants and convenience stores to offer pre-ordered dishes.

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