Market forces in action! The system works.
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The precautionary principle needs to die a quick death. It’s such a terrible way to view the world.
Hopefully Taiwan will wake up and accept probabilistic risk assessment, and nuclear power and transgenic food as a result.
Taiwan is a very tolerant place so maybe we could start with transgender food?
Pork prices climb in Taiwan after shoppers reject US imports
KATHRIN HILLE JANUARY 10, 2021
A protest in Taipei against the importation of US pork containing ractopamine. Taiwan ranks fourth in the world for per capita consumption of the meat
Taiwanese consumers are turning away from imported pork, driving up prices and frustrating meat producers’ hopes that the liberalisation of the country’s pork market would offer new opportunities for US suppliers.
On January 1, Taiwan lifted a ban on US pork containing ractopamine, the feed additive. While Taipei hopes the decision will build support in Washington for a bilateral trade deal, the US is eyeing better access to a market dominated by local producers.
Taiwan is one of the most pork-loving nations in the world, ranking fourth with a per-capita consumption of more than 40kg a year in 2019. The meat is the main source of protein for the population.
However, pork imports from the US have nosedived since Taiwan president Tsai Ing-wen announced the liberalisation, and demand for other imported pork is now also being hit.
After reaching a historic high of 4,337 metric tons in the week of August 20, a week before Ms Tsai’s announcement, Taiwan orders for US pork slid steeply, according to data from the US Department of Agriculture.
Although the weakening dollar makes US pork increasingly competitive, sales to Taiwan have dropped below the level of past years. In the week between Christmas and New Year, the latest available data, they were a mere 371 metric tons.
Observers believe the Taiwanese opposition’s campaign against the market reform and the government’s pledges to protect food safety have triggered consumer fears that any pork other than local produce is harmful.
More than 150 Taiwanese pork importers signed a pledge last month not to import US pork. Some retailers have cut back on all imported pork.
“People want fresh local meat, they want pork from suppliers they trust,” said an executive at PX Mart, one of Taiwan’s leading food retailers. “You don’t want people posting on Facebook about your store selling poisonous American pork, so we are restocking with more Taiwan pork.”
As a result, local pork is becoming more expensive. Since the import liberalisation took effect, wholesale prices averaged NT$73.54 ($2.63) a kilogramme, the highest recorded in January since 2017, according to the Council of Agriculture.
Many restaurants started raising prices from January 1. Yao Chieh-wen, who runs a small eatery in Taipei, increased the price for a bowl of noodles with deep-fried ribs by NT$10 to NT$130. “We use Taiwan pork, and Taiwan pork is getting more expensive now,” she said. “Nobody wants racto-pork.”
The Kuomintang, Taiwan’s main opposition party, even resorted to throwing pig offal in parliament to demonise the market opening as a gamble with citizens’ health.
The government has promised that vulnerable groups will not be exposed to ractopamine, such as regulating that primary school lunches will only contain Taiwanese pork. It has also launched subsidy programmes for local pork producers.
In her New Year address, Ms Tsai pleaded with the public that, because Taiwan was a country reliant on trade for survival, she had no choice but to allow imports of ractopamine pork.
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See a lot of Taiwan Pork/Pig promotional signs! I wonder any cafe has signs we use American Pork?
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Haven’t seen any yet. But. Will keep an eye out for 'em.
It’s beautiful. We legalised US pork and the sky didn’t fall down. Market demand is doing its job.
And I am usually first to express concern at market failure.
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I’m looking forward to having more choices. I always read the labels and buy American beef. Now if I can just get them to quit cutting everything into tiny pieces…
Is there a map to find American pork?
Quite obviously no
That’s a shame. 
Good to hear that Taiwanese are refusing that tainted pork. As long as mislabeling doesn’t start happening
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If there was such a list or map, I guess many shops would try to remove their name from it. (It would be a de facto Black list) It’s carrying over to beef, that a shop here changed to Aussie beef and took down his American Beef sign. I would think it would be better for American meat promoters to lay low for a bit and hope Taiwanese forget the current news.
Yeah it will be mainly in unnamed lower end restaurant, Costco, PX Mart, Carrefour and Amart have all confirmed won’t sell American pork
Maybe RT Mart will have it. It’s sad Costco won’t carry it. Probably worry those loons will buy it all and return it.
Thats how the market works
When I read this, it seems to say Taiwanese raised pork quality is good. Then, it seems vague. They have no plans to import other sources of pork today.
好市多、家樂福、全聯及愛買等4家連鎖賣場更表示，台灣豬的品質很好，目前沒有計畫要進口萊豬。
Costco ， Carrefour, Pxmart and Amart, four supermarket chains, expressed that they believed the quality of Taiwanese pork to be excellent and have no plans to import the Ractopork
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I don’t have a problem with Taiwanese consumers refusing to buy American pork. People voting with their wallets is the way markets should work.
But Taiwanese consumers are deluded if they think Taiwanese pork is “clean” in any way. Industrial meat is generally horrible no matter where it comes from, and pork is arguably the worst of the industrial meats.
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I also like to see the labels and then I choose accordingly.