Date: 17th October, 2014 Title: Taiwanese oil ban a bad move, says shop owner Link: http://m.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1617878/taiwanese-oil-ban-bad-move-say s-shop-owner In September, there was a shocking news stating that a Taiwan company had been using gutter oil to produce lard. Unfortunately, a lot of small companies had purchased its lard to make different kinds of food. Later, it was found that the problem also existed in Hong Kong. Therefore, to protect the public health, thru government has banned imports and sales of all kinds of oil from Taiwan. However, some of the shopkeepers are discontented with this action, and thinks that it will create a panic among the customers. This issue has brought both problems and opportunities. For problems, it stirs up controversy between shopkeepers and the government, about the ban on sales of oil coming from Taiwan. With this policy, the related shop owners need to bear the loss in sales revenue, and also the number of customers. As there is a dilemma between shops' profits and public health, the problems cannot be easily solved in several days. On the other hand, for opportunities, it can increase the popularity of food from other countries. They can act as substitutes of products with gutter oil, and many people might switch to the new choices. Therefore, supermarkets or department stores can import more foreign food to maintain stable sales, or even make a profit in the current situation. From my point of view, I absolutely support the act of the government this time. I think we should put the good of the whole society above personal interests, as the benefits of most of the people are more important. Although this move will negatively affect the sales revenue of shops selling oil products from Taiwan, it can ensure that the safety of the citizens is maintained. As the government said, the information is unclear, so it will be too risky for the customers if the shops still supply the other oil with uncertain raw material behind. I see the worries of those shopkeepers, who argue that the policy is unfair to them. Yet, if they put themselves into the shoes of those customers, they would understand the behind meaning of this action. To conclude, the appearance of gutter oil has a lot of negative effects on both public health and shop profits. However, I believe that the new policy can protect us well, and it is the best way to maintain the safety of the most citizens in the short run.