Food Scandals In China

[PeterMetro]

From a the recent NYTimes article.

In recent weeks, China's news media have reported sales of pork adulterated with the drug clenbuterol, which can cause heart palpitations; pork sold as beef after it was soaked in borax, a detergent additive; rice contaminated with cadmium, a heavy metal discharged by smelters; arsenic-laced soy sauce; popcorn and mushrooms treated with fluorescent bleach; bean sprouts tainted with an animal antibiotic; and wine diluted with sugared water and chemicals.

Even eggs, seemingly sacrosanct in their shells, have turned out not to be eggs at all but man-made concoctions of chemicals, gelatin and paraffin.

Of course, the "sugared water and chemicals" they add to wine is likely Sprite, but still: GET ME THE F*CK OUT OF HERE!

 

[dacox]

... and here I am thinking my heart palpitations have been due to the smog, cigarette smoke, and baijiu

 

[KJT]

I am amazed that it is cheaper for them to create eggs from chemicals rather than raise them. ******* crazy. I'd love to see a picture of a fake egg that passes for a real one. (not a cadbury)

 

[Douglas]

Originally Posted by dacox

... and here I am thinking my heart palpitations have been due to the smog, cigarette smoke, and baijiu

 

[Omega Man]

As the global food supply chain is getting more and more integrated, my grim prediction is that someday, someone you know will get hurt from unknowingly eating these types of adulterated food. Finding and tracing the origin will be very complicated and you may never get a complete closure on the matter.

On a related note (and perhaps it has been discussed here before), type "Meat glue" in Google search and you will be surprised of what it can do. Eating "prime cut" steak has a totally different meaning to me now. A little knowledge can be a very dangerous thing....

 

[Georgie]

Not only in China, even in America, some food are not safe. It is really horrible! Our goverment should hit this kind of crime heavily!

 

[Douglas]

I really think we need to get as serious about food origin labels as we are about nutritional labeling. It's hard to tell where a lot of food (to say nothing of the additives) comes from.

 

[1969]

Adulteration of food has been going on for thousands of years. In Rome, they would cut flour with non food material in order to maximize profit.

In the US, meat, fish, fresh and frozen fruits and vegetables and some nuts are required to be labeled with Country of Origin. Honestly, traceability is only going to get better not worse. The new food safety modernization act is part of the reason, and corporate liability is another. China on the other hand is a whole other story.

 

[Monaco]

China's regulations in general have been making improvements. They're still behind in development...give them some time

 

[acidboy]

the central committee definitely needs to kill more shady food makers like the melamine milk guys.