Certified agricultural standards

To assure food safety and to improve competitiveness of agricultural products, the Council of Agriculture (COA) of the Executive Yuan has followed international standards of good agricultural practices, good manufacturing practices and quality control in establishing the CAS (certified agricultural standards) label and certification protocol for premium agricultural products from Taiwan. The CAS labels guarantee for supreme quality, hygiene, safety, healthiness, taste and/or attractiveness of Taiwan’s agricultural products. The CAS system is well received by the producer and the consumer alike, and has accelerated the marketing of the CAS products.

To qualify for the label of the CAS premium agricultural products, the concerned products must meet all the following four criteria: 1) raw materials of the products are from the country; 2) production processes are in accordance to the approved hygiene and safety standards; 3) products are in compliance with the established quality specifications; and 4) packages and product labels are in conformity with the accepted rules. The certification application review entails stringent inspections of premises, processes and products. The marketing of the CAS-certified products is also monitored. The panels of experts drawn from the governmental agencies, the academia, the research community, and the business sector are responsible for the review and monitor activities.

At present, all CAS premium agricultural products are classified under 16 categories: meat; frozen foods; fruit and vegetable juice; quality rice; preserved fruit and vegetables; ready-to-serve meals; refrigerated and prepared foods; fresh edible mushrooms; fermented foods; snack foods; egg products; processed fruit and vegetables; aquatic products; forestry products; dairy products; and others. Producers and consumers can visit the CAS system at <www.cas.org.tw> for the details of these categories.