TAIPEI, Oct. 22 (Xinhua) -- Taiwan's administrative authority launched a food safety office on Wednesday to tighten control and soothe public outrage amid a string of cooking oil scandals in recent months.

The new office will be a driving force in coordinating food safety management among different departments and cracking down on substandard food products across the island, according to Sun Lih-chyun, spokesperson for Taiwan's administrative authority.

The office, equipped with 20 officials, is an upgrade of the former food safety promotion task force under Taiwan's administrative authority. Chiang Been-huang, who assumes office as chief of the health and welfare authority later in the day, will supervise its work.

Taiwan has been in the grip of fear and anger since a major cooking oil producer was exposed as having made lard with recycled oil from kitchen waste and industrial grease in September, leading to the resignation of former health chief Chiu Wen-ta.

However, this month another food scare has engulfed Ting Hsin International Group, known for a number of brands including Master Kong instant noodles, after two of its subsidiaries were found to have used animal feed in cooking oil.