00:00U.S. ground beef and pork could be hitting Taiwan's supermarket shelves soon.
00:04This comes after years of banning imports over concerns like mad cow disease
00:07and controversial food additives like ractopamine and pork.
00:11But authorities say they will only uphold the highest standards.
00:44Taiwan's Food and Drug Administration says it will convene experts for review
00:48and submit a proposal to finalize standards.
00:50Industry officials are pushing for the government to include country-of-origin labels to help consumers.
00:55Additionally, opposition lawmakers have raised concerns
00:58about how these new imports may undercut local producers.
01:01Ruling party lawmakers say these fears are overblown.
01:17Apart from food, the new agreement will also lower tariffs on health supplements from 30% to 10%.
01:23Officials warn that consumers may not see major price drops
01:26because tariffs are only a small part of retail costs.
01:29Industry insiders are concerned the lower tariffs may affect local producers.
01:34The new trade deal also paves the way for a more streamlined medical approval process
01:44if a product is already certified by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
01:48Many in Taiwan's local industries are still figuring out the effects of the new tariff deal
01:52and what it means for consumers.
01:53The deal now heads to the legislature for review.
01:56How all this plays out could have a big impact on the daily lives of many.
02:00Devin Tsai and Larry Siano for Taiwan Plus.
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