Polam Kopitiam food poisoning survivors upset by light sentences
Polam Kopitiam food poisoning survivors upset by light sentences
2026-11-12
Six people died, yet the sentences handed down in the deadly Polam Kopitiam food poisoning case from 2024 have left survivors and victims’ families outraged. The heaviest sentence was 1 year and 10 months for the owner of the franchise. One survivor says the punishment is simply too lenient, as she continues to suffer serious kidney damage from the poisoning. The verdict has reignited a political firestorm, with victims’ families accusing Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an’s administration of failing to properly preserve evidence in the aftermath.
- I am absolutely shocked. Six lives were lost. The sentence is way too light.
Ms. Huang chokes back tears outside the courtroom. She is one of the survivors of the Polam Kopitiam mass food poisoning case, and says she can’t accept the sentence.
Ms. Huang
Polam Kopitiam food poisoning survivor
It’s unreal, ludicrous. How can such a major incident be let go with such light punishment? After I got poisoned, I had Stage 3 chronic kidney disease, with a kidney function of just over 30%. I’ll probably start having to do kidney dialysis.
Voice of Liu Shang-ming
Lawyer for franchise owner Li Fang-hsuan
During the subsequent testing process, one thing was clearly established: a lack of refrigeration alone would not have caused the rice noodles to develop the bacteria, which had never before been detected in Taiwan.
The food poisoning case took place at a Polam Kopitiam branch in Taipei in 2024. Two cooks and an intern had served diners dishes that used rice noodles from opened bags that were being stored at room temperature. A total of 33 people contracted bongkrekic acid poisoning, and six died. The franchise owner has been sentenced to 1 year and 10 months in prison for negligent homicide. One of the cooks received a sentence of 8 months, the other a sentence of 6 months commutable to a fine, and an intern a sentence of 4 months also commutable to a fine. The store manager was acquitted of all charges.
The food poisoning incident has become a political issue. In the recent mayoral debate for Taipei, Mayor Chiang Wan-an said he had made sure that Polam Kopitiam would be held accountable, and that all the victims and their families would receive compensation. The comment did not sit well with survivors and relatives, who found it triggering. Among them was Ms. Huang, who took part in a radio interview one day before the verdict. She recounted that she had once run into mayoral candidate Puma Shen and told him that Taipei’s response to the poisoning had been far too slow.
Puma Shen
Taipei Mayoral Candidate (DPP)
The city government cannot shirk its responsibility to address municipal issues. As I’ve said before, the mayor does not control the courts. But the mayor is responsible for inspections, for seizing evidence or assets, ensuring investigations continue, and preventing those responsible from hiding or transferring their assets.
Chiang Wan-an
Taipei Mayor
The court should impose a harsh sentence. I’ve long said that penalties under the Act Governing Food Safety and Sanitation are not severe enough. That’s why we’ve been speaking with lawmakers to amend the law and increase the penalties.
Chiang says he wants a harsh sentence. But victims and their families say they haven’t forgotten how his government botched investigations in the aftermath of the incident.
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寶林中毒案負責人輕判1年10月 倖存者哽咽:無法接受
2026-11-12
2024年台北市寶林茶室集體中毒案，釀成6死27傷的悲劇，上午一審判決結果出爐，寶林負責人黎仿軒1年10個月，對此，倖存者黃小姐出面痛批，實在判太輕，也把矛頭指向台北市政府，質疑當初沒有做好證據保全，家屬也沒得到業者賠償，蔣萬安竟然還把案件當政績，說要讓寶林跑不掉。
“我覺得非常的震驚，因為是6條命，這樣的判決實在是太輕了。”
講到激動處忍不住哽咽，寶林茶室案件的倖存者黃小姐，12日親自現身法庭聽判，但這結果讓她無法接受。
[[寶林案倖存者 黃小姐]]
“我真的是覺得實在是太扯，太誇張了，這是如此大的社會案件，我沒想到判決竟是如此的輕。在那次中毒之後，腎指數就是第三期，差不多三十幾，所以下一個階段我可能就是要洗腎。”
[[聲源: 負責人黎仿軒委任律師 劉上銘]]
“後來培養的過程，就是有一個很明確的，確定結果就是，(粿條)沒有冰的這件事情，不會產生這個菌，而這個菌在這個案件發生之前，從來在台灣沒有出現過。”
2024年寶林茶室食安風波，當時兩位廚師，還有實習生，將開封後的粿條放在常溫下，和新的粿條混炒，導致33人邦克列酸中毒，其中6人不幸死亡，如今一審宣判，負責人黎仿軒依過失致死罪，判處1年10個月，兩名廚師分別處6個月及8個月有期徒刑，實習生4個月，可易科罰金，另外王姓店長無罪。
而案件也從食安問題演變成政治議題，因為蔣萬安日前在電視辯論會中宣稱，讓寶林跑不了，讓受害家屬都能獲得賠償，遭到被害家屬痛批，根本是二次傷害。宣判前一天，被害人黃小姐接受電台訪問，巧遇沈伯洋時，也特別講到，市府在案發後的動作太慢。
[[台北市長候選人(民) 沈伯洋]]
“市政要去處理的不能夠去逃避，我有提過，市長是沒有管到法院的，市長是管稽查、管查扣，還有管有沒有繼續調查，有沒有防止脫產。”
[[台北市長 蔣萬安]]
“我認為法院應該要重判，我也一直認為，食安法的刑責還是不夠高，所以我們也一直都有跟立法院的委員在溝通，是否透過修法來提高相關的食安法刑責。”
蔣萬安說要重判，但對被害人和家屬來說，蔣市府連事發後最基本的證據保全，都沒做好，讓人心寒。
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