食安風暴平安符：論臺灣食品委託檢驗制度

The Amulet in Food Safety Crises: on the Institution of Commissioned Food Testing in Taiwan

任曼欣(Mann-Hsin Jen)

指導教授 ： 陳淳文

國立臺灣大學/社會科學院/公共事務研究所/碩士(2017年)

https://doi.org/10.6342/NTU201701479

摘要

「食」為人類生活的基本需求，在食品製程與供應鏈日益複雜、食品安全問題叢生的今日臺灣社會，人們透過將食品委託特定機構檢驗特定的成分作為判定安全與否最速成的一道防線，諸如「本產品通過某公司檢驗合格」的宣稱屢見不鮮，在食品安全政策中也隨處可見檢驗的身影。然而，委託檢驗卻不必然能預示食品的安全與否，食品檢驗於臺灣是近年來因應食安危機而新興的產業，在制度上仍潛藏著諸多不成熟。
社會生活以制度做為框架，不同的利害關係人身處其中並面對各種不同的條件與選擇，計算並決策而產生結果。公共政策的規劃與制定鑲嵌於特定社會的時空脈絡，同時涵蓋了制度框架的建立與調整以及其中行為者關係的協調。據此，深入當下脈絡以檢視臺灣食品委託檢驗制度以及利害關係人在其中的態度與立場，並探究制度中問題的解決方案為本研究之主要目的。
本研究從2015年7月至2016年12月間，訪談一共18位檢驗機構主管、食品業者與相關官員、舉辦六場消費者焦點團體座談會，參與者共57人，並將蒐集的資料整理對照過去研究文獻。透過研究內容交叉比對分析，歸納出各方行為者面對現存制度的實際考量與行動，描繪並刻畫臺灣食品委託檢驗制度運行的真實樣貌。
研究結果指出，制度中資訊不對稱的落差以及各方行為者對於食品委託檢驗之本質和結果判讀的混淆，提高了行為者投機的誘因，並使食品委託檢驗在臺灣的食品安全風暴中逐漸呈現流於形式的趨向。更進一步導致食品委託檢驗成為不可靠的食品安全品質信號，而不穩定的食品安全品質信號加劇了臺灣社會面對食品安全議題的恐慌與不信任，消費者更加無所依循。
本研究對此提出三個政策建議：（一）建立食品業者公開張貼或使用檢驗報告的管理規範，並由管理機關不定期突襲式複檢；（二）強化檢驗機構資訊公開，包括檢驗機構品質評比資訊、強制要求檢驗報告出具標示告知該檢驗方法的認證與否；（三）提高政府與消費者對於食品安全風險溝通的密度與深度，溝通範疇例如檢驗標準的訂定、食品安全本質的釐清、以及消費者在日常生活中所能擔負的相關社會責任。
食品的安全是製造出來的，而不是檢驗出來的，透過以上改善，將食品委託檢驗的本質回歸為對於食品品質的控管，而非將其視為安全保證的憑證。

關鍵字

食品安全 ； 食品委託檢驗 ； 制度分析 ； 利害關係人 ； 深度訪談 ； 焦點團體座座談

並列摘要

Food is the basic requirement of human life. As the process of food production and the supply chain become increasingly complex and the food safety problems cluster, people in Taiwan find themselves facing severe challenges.
People rely on the commissioned food safety test as a standard for judging whether the food is safe or not. Such sentence as “This product has passed a test and is qualified.” can be seen everywhere, and food testing is also a ubiquitous issue in food policy making. However, passing tests does not denote food safety. Food testing is an emerging industry rising out of the food safety crises in Taiwan. There are still dozens of hidden immatures with commissioned food testing in Taiwan.
Social life is based on the institutions of the society that people live in. Different society members face various conditions and choices, calculate and make decisions inside the institution, thus creating results. The planning and making of public policy are embedded in the time and space of a specific society, and they also involve the establishment and adjustment of institutional framework and coordination among stake-holders within a society.
Therefore, this study explores the institution of commissioned testing in Taiwan, as well as the attitudes and positions of different stake-holders, so as to find possible solutions to systemic problems.
From July 2015 to December 2016, the author conducted in-depth interview with a total of 18 managers of testing laboratories, food sellers, and related government officials. Six focus group interviews were arranged with a total of 57 participants. Besides, the author organizes the collected information and compares it with previous literature. Through cross-comparison and analysis, this study analyzes the considerations and actions of different society members facing the existing institution, and then depicts and reveals the genuine appearance of the institution of commissioned testing in Taiwan.
The result shows that the discrepancy caused by information asymmetry among stake-holders and the incorrect interpretations of commissioned test results by different society members reinforce the incentives for opportunistic action and render the testing a mere formality. This in turn makes commissioned food testing an unreliable signal of food safety. This unreliable signal aggravates public panic and loss of confidence in Taiwan society when people encounter food safety issues. As a result, consumers are at a loss as to what to do.
There are three suggestions: First, establish rules to regulate public presentation of test reports and implement random retest of food batches. Second, enhance the openness of information of testing laboratories, such as quality audition and compulsory revelation on the test report paper of whether the laboratories and the test item itself is accredited. Finally, increasing the density and depth of risk communication between the government and consumers. It is essential for the government to communicate with consumers issues such as the development of testing standards, to clarify the nature of food safety, and to define the obligations of consumers concerning food safety in their daily life.
Genuine food safety lies in the manufacture process, not in the testing. Through the above measures, the role of commissioned food testing will return to being about the control of food quality instead of the assurance of promises of safety.

並列關鍵字

Food Safety ； Commissioned Food Testing ； Institutional Analysis ； Stake-Holder ； In-Depth Interview ； Focus Group Interview

參考文獻

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