Food safety incidents in the People's Republic of China
Encyclopedia
Food safety incidents in the People's Republic of China have received increased international media scrutiny following the reform and opening of the country, and its joining the World Trade Organization
. in urban area
s have become more aware of food safety
as their income
s rise. Food safety agencies in China
have overlapping duties. The 2008 Chinese milk scandal
received the most attention among food safety incidents.
s operated out of season and produced hams during warmer months, treating their hams with pesticides to prevent spoilage and insect infestation. The hams were soaked in the pesticide Dichlorvos
, which is a volatile organophosphate
insecticide used for fumigation
.
and 50-60 more in the rural areas of the Anhui
province died of malnourishment from ingesting fake milk
powder. 100-200 other babies in Anhui Province suffered malnutrition but survived. Local officials in Fuyang arrested 47 people who were responsible for making and selling the fake formula and investigators discovered 45 types of substandard formula for sale in Fuyang markets. Over 141 factories were responsible for the production of the formula and Chinese officials seized 2,540 bags of fake formula by mid-April. The State Food and Drug Administration ordered an investigation in May, 2004.
The babies suffered from "big head disease" according to Chinese doctors. Within three days of ingesting the formula, the babies' heads swelled while their bodies became thinner from malnourishment. The fake formulas were tested to have only 1-6% protein when the national requirement was 10% protein. The government promised to compensate families and help cover medical bills. Most of the victims were rural families.
had an acceptable amount of chemical additives. The labels on the pickled vegetables that was supposed to indicate the chemical content were also found to be inaccurate. In Sichuan, the factories had been using industrial-grade salt
to pickle the vegetables and had been spraying pesticides containing high amounts of DDVP
on the pickled vegetables before shipment.
poisoning in Guangdong
Province and eight other men were hospitalized in the People's Hospital of Guangzhou. Wang Funian and Hou Shangjian, both from Taihe Town, died in May after drinking liquor bought from the same vendor. Two other men, one a migrant worker, died the previous night in Zhongluotan in Hunan
Province. Authorities in the local health department suspected that the makers of the fake liquor blended industrial alcohol and rice wine
, and closed several unlicensed liquor manufacturers.
s made from human hair. These sauces were manufactured in China using a chemical amino acid
extraction process similar to artificially hydrolyzed soy sauces and then quietly exported to other countries. An investigative report that aired on Chinese television exposed the unsanitary and potentially contaminated sources of the hair:
In response, the Chinese government banned production of soy sauces made from hair. Other carcinogens remain, see 3-MCPD
.
red dye to color their products. China followed a number of other developed nations in banning the dye due to its links to cancer and other negative health effects. However, officials in the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine, the State Bureau of Industry and Commerce, and the State Food and Drug Administration discovered in 2005 that Sudan I was being used in food in many major Chinese cities. In Beijing, the Heinz
Company added the red dye to chili sauce
; in Guangdong
, Zhejiang
, Hunan
, and Fuzhou
provinces, the red dye was discovered in vegetables and noodles. Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) used the red dye in its 1,200 restaurants, and medicine
in Shanghai
also contained Sudan I.
Companies in China had been using Sudan I illegally for years before 2005, and government officials gave two reasons why the 1996 ban had not been adequately enforced. The first reason was that there were too many agencies overseeing food production, creating loopholes and inefficiency. The second reason was that the government agencies were not equipped or trained with the food testing equipment that could have detected the dye earlier. Officials announced that they would begin to reform the food safety system on national and local levels.
with disinfectant as an ingredient. In 2006, the government also "revoked the business licenses of 160 drug manufacturers and retailers."
and Beijing discovered illegal amounts of chemicals in turbot
. As The Epoch Times
explained, "China started importing turbot from Europe in 1992. Currently, China's annual output is 40,000 tons. Since turbot have weak immune systems, some farmers use prohibited drugs to maintain their productivity, as their fish-farming technologies are not sufficient to prevent disease." Shanghai officials from the Shanghai Food and Drug Administration found carcinogenic nitrofuran metabolites in the fish and Beijing found additional drugs, including malachite green
, in its fish. Other cities, including Hangzhou, have begun testing turbot fish and banning the turbot shipped from Shandong Province. Many restaurants in Shanghai, Beijing, and Hong Kong stopped purchasing turbot after officials discovered the high amounts of illegal antibiotics.
grocery stores, Parknshop and Wellcome, and discovered that over 70% of their samples were covered in pesticide residue. Thirty percent of their vegetable samples exceeded safe levels of pesticides and several tested positive for illegal pesticides, such as DDT, HCH and Lindane. Greenpeace explained that nearly 80% of vegetables in these grocery stores originated from mainland China. John Chapple, manager of Sinoanalytica, a Qingdao-based food analysis laboratory, supplemented Greenpeace's information. He was not surprised by the findings and explained that farmers in China have little knowledge of correct pesticide use.
Although many Chinese farms are converting to organic agriculture, pesticide use in many areas remains high.
, "a parasite that harms people's nervous system" causing headaches, vomiting, stiff necks, and fevers. No one died from the meningitis outbreak and the Beijing Municipal Office of Health inspection did not find any more raw snails in 2,000 other restaurants. However, the Beijing Municipal Office of Health prohibited restaurants from serving raw or half-cooked snails and disciplined the Shuguo Yanyi Restaurant. The Beijing Friendship Hospital, where the first meningitis case was treated, began a program to educate doctors on the treatment of angiostrongylus meningitis. The Guangzhou Center for Disease Control and Prevention explained that these meningitis cases were the first outbreaks since the 1980s.
In November 2006, Chinese authorities at the Ministry of Health had warned of the rising number of mushroom poisonings. "From July to September, 31 people were killed and 183 were poisoned by toxic mushrooms." Officials worried that the public could not accurately separate edible mushrooms from poisonous ones.
, Chinese organized crime is involved in working across national boundaries and faking drugs on an industrial scale, now appearing throughout Africa
. China Central Television
cited an official saying those making the false albumin
were making a 300% profit, assisted by shortages of the genuine product.
, to its frying oil. It reported that KFC restaurants in several cities in the northwest Shaanxi
Province used this chemical so that the frying oil could be used repeatedly for up to ten days. KFC pointed out that the additive is considered safe by United States and international standards, but health officials in Xianyang, Yulin, and Xi'an, all cities in the Shaanxi Province, inspected their local KFCs and confiscated the frying powder. Gaungzhou city officials also began in investigation into the frying oils, and the cities requested that the Ministry of Health step in. KFC stated that the oil filtering powder does not caused health problems and meets local and international standards, but local Chinese authorities claimed that reusing the powder decreased its nutritional value and that it was connected to cancer. Magnesium trisilicate is commonly used in medicines such as antacids, and is widely considered to be safe for human consumption with no known connections to cancer.
-contaminated Wheat Gluten
and rice protein
blamed for the deaths of dogs and cats in the United States. In August 2007, AQSIQ introduced recall systems for unsafe food products and toys and on December 3, 2007, China ordered 69 categories of products to be bar-coded at factories amid efforts to improve product safety, in response to several recent incidents, including: "scares rang[ing] from ducks and hens that were fed cancer-causing Sudan Red dye to make their egg yolks red, to pet food made of melamine-tainted wheat protein that killed scores of dogs and cats in the United States." See also 2007 pet food crisis.
in Guangdong province were found to use a combination of sewage
, slop, and Iron(II) sulfate
to accelerate production and improve appearance of their fermented
product.
and Chiba
prefectures fell ill after consuming Chinese-produced jiaozi
(pork dumplings) tainted with the insecticide methamidophos
. The dumplings had been produced by the Tianyang Food Plant in Hebei Province and sold by JT Foods and the Japanese Consumers' Co-operative Union. Kyodo News
reported that about 500 people complained of agonies. On February 5, 2008, Hyōgo and Chiba prefectural police announced that they were treating these cases as attempted murder. and both prefectural police departments established a joint investigation team.
When Japanese police and other prefectural authorities inspected the recalled dumplings, they found pesticides other than methamidophos, including Dichlorvos
and Parathion
. The Japanese National Police Agency
found these toxins in packages that were completely sealed, concluding that it would have been nearly impossible to insert such toxins into the packages from the outside. They provided the test results to the Ministry of Public Security of China
(MPS).
Investigations jointly held by both the Chinese and Japanese governments cleared the Chinese company of responsibility after finding no traces of any poison in the raw material used nor in the factory.
Officials are now treating this incident as a deliberate poisoning, and an investigation is underway.
On February 28, 2008 the MPS criminal investigation bureau announced that there was little chance that methamidophos had been put into the dumplings in China, and declared that the Japanese police had rejected the requirement by the MPS to check the scene, relative material evidences, and test reports, thus information on the evidence was not fully provided to the MPS. On the same day, Hiroto Yoshimura, the Comissionor-General of Japan's National Police Agency, argued against the Chinese authorities that the Japanese had already offered test results and photographic evidence and claimed that some part of China's assertion "cannot be overlooked". They asked Chinese authorities to offer evidence.
On August 5, 2008, Japanese media revealed that some Chinese people who had eaten the recalled Chinese dumplings made by Tianyang Food had also become sick after the incident in Japan, in mid-June 2008; the cause was again found to have been methamidophos contamination. The Chinese government
alerted the Japanese government to this fact just before the 34th G8 summit
in July 2008. The Yomiuri Shimbun
reported that this incident has increased the suspicion of foods produced in China.
supermarket chain in the United States
had been selling powdered ginger
produced in China, which was labeled as organic food
, but when tested was found to contain the banned pesticide
Aldicarb
. The ginger had been mistakenly certified organic by Quality Assurance International
, who relied on two Chinese certifiers because, under Chinese law
, foreigners may not inspect Chinese farms.
. Six babies died and 294,000 were made sick by the tainted formula with 51,900 requiring hospitalization. The supplier of the milk, Sanlu Group
, is a name brand and is a major player in the industry in China. The company is said to have known of the problem for months, but claims the contaminant came from milk suppliers.
were also contaminated with melamine
.
were adulterated with macromolecular polymer
s to improve their texture.
(steamed buns) the pesticide
Dichlorvos
was added. In addition, sulphur was used to whiten the buns to improve their physical appearance.
have been caught marinating duck meat in goat
or sheep urine
to give the duck the smell and taste of lamb. The duck is then sold as lamb to customers.
inspectors discovered that most of the pork
blood pudding in Chinese markets contain little actual blood, but is manufactured with formaldehyde
, corn starch, industrial grade salt, in addition to artificial food colouring.
World Trade Organization
The World Trade Organization is an organization that intends to supervise and liberalize international trade. The organization officially commenced on January 1, 1995 under the Marrakech Agreement, replacing the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade , which commenced in 1948...
. in urban area
Urban area
An urban area is characterized by higher population density and vast human features in comparison to areas surrounding it. Urban areas may be cities, towns or conurbations, but the term is not commonly extended to rural settlements such as villages and hamlets.Urban areas are created and further...
s have become more aware of food safety
Food safety
Food safety is a scientific discipline describing handling, preparation, and storage of food in ways that prevent foodborne illness. This includes a number of routines that should be followed to avoid potentially severe health hazards....
as their income
Income
Income is the consumption and savings opportunity gained by an entity within a specified time frame, which is generally expressed in monetary terms. However, for households and individuals, "income is the sum of all the wages, salaries, profits, interests payments, rents and other forms of earnings...
s rise. Food safety agencies in China
Food safety in the People's Republic of China
Food safety in the People's Republic of China is a growing concern relating to agriculture. China's principal crops are rice, corn, wheat, soybeans, and cotton in addition to apples and other fruits and vegetables. China's principal livestock products include pork, beef, dairy, and eggs...
have overlapping duties. The 2008 Chinese milk scandal
2008 Chinese milk scandal
The 2008 Chinese milk scandal was a food safety incident in the People's Republic of China, involving milk and infant formula, and other food materials and components, adulterated with melamine....
received the most attention among food safety incidents.
Poisonous Jinhua ham
In 2003, several small producers of Jinhua hamJinhua ham
Jinhua ham is a type of dry-cured ham named after the city of Jinhua, where it is produced, in the Zhejiang province of eastern China. The ham is used in Chinese cuisines to flavour stewed and braised foods as well as for making the stocks and broths of many Chinese soups...
s operated out of season and produced hams during warmer months, treating their hams with pesticides to prevent spoilage and insect infestation. The hams were soaked in the pesticide Dichlorvos
Dichlorvos
Dichlorvos or 2,2-dichlorovinyl dimethyl phosphate is a highly volatile organophosphate, widely used as a insecticide to control household pests, in public health, and protecting stored product from insects. It is effective against mushroom flies, aphids, spider mites, caterpillars, thrips, and...
, which is a volatile organophosphate
Organophosphate
An organophosphate is the general name for esters of phosphoric acid. Phosphates are probably the most pervasive organophosphorus compounds. Many of the most important biochemicals are organophosphates, including DNA and RNA as well as many cofactors that are essential for life...
insecticide used for fumigation
Fumigation
Fumigation is a method of pest control that completely fills an area with gaseous pesticides—or fumigants—to suffocate or poison the pests within. It is utilized for control of pests in buildings , soil, grain, and produce, and is also used during processing of goods to be imported or...
.
Counterfeit baby formula
In April 2004, at least 13 babies in Fuyang, AnhuiFuyang, Anhui
Fuyang is a prefecture-level city in northwestern Anhui province, People's Republic of China. It borders Bozhou to the northeast, Huainan to the southeast, Lu'an to the south, and the province of Henan on all other sides.-Climate:-Administration:...
and 50-60 more in the rural areas of the Anhui
Anhui
Anhui is a province in the People's Republic of China. Located in eastern China across the basins of the Yangtze River and the Huai River, it borders Jiangsu to the east, Zhejiang to the southeast, Jiangxi to the south, Hubei to the southwest, Henan to the northwest, and Shandong for a tiny...
province died of malnourishment from ingesting fake milk
Milk
Milk is a white liquid produced by the mammary glands of mammals. It is the primary source of nutrition for young mammals before they are able to digest other types of food. Early-lactation milk contains colostrum, which carries the mother's antibodies to the baby and can reduce the risk of many...
powder. 100-200 other babies in Anhui Province suffered malnutrition but survived. Local officials in Fuyang arrested 47 people who were responsible for making and selling the fake formula and investigators discovered 45 types of substandard formula for sale in Fuyang markets. Over 141 factories were responsible for the production of the formula and Chinese officials seized 2,540 bags of fake formula by mid-April. The State Food and Drug Administration ordered an investigation in May, 2004.
The babies suffered from "big head disease" according to Chinese doctors. Within three days of ingesting the formula, the babies' heads swelled while their bodies became thinner from malnourishment. The fake formulas were tested to have only 1-6% protein when the national requirement was 10% protein. The government promised to compensate families and help cover medical bills. Most of the victims were rural families.
Adulterated pickled vegetables
In June 2004, the Chengdu Quality Inspection Department released figures that only about 23% of all pickled vegetables produced in ChengduChengdu
Chengdu , formerly transliterated Chengtu, is the capital of Sichuan province in Southwest China. It holds sub-provincial administrative status...
had an acceptable amount of chemical additives. The labels on the pickled vegetables that was supposed to indicate the chemical content were also found to be inaccurate. In Sichuan, the factories had been using industrial-grade salt
Salt
In chemistry, salts are ionic compounds that result from the neutralization reaction of an acid and a base. They are composed of cations and anions so that the product is electrically neutral...
to pickle the vegetables and had been spraying pesticides containing high amounts of DDVP
Dichlorvos
Dichlorvos or 2,2-dichlorovinyl dimethyl phosphate is a highly volatile organophosphate, widely used as a insecticide to control household pests, in public health, and protecting stored product from insects. It is effective against mushroom flies, aphids, spider mites, caterpillars, thrips, and...
on the pickled vegetables before shipment.
Counterfeit alcoholic drinks
In Spring 2004, four men died of alcoholAlcohol
In chemistry, an alcohol is an organic compound in which the hydroxy functional group is bound to a carbon atom. In particular, this carbon center should be saturated, having single bonds to three other atoms....
poisoning in Guangdong
Guangdong
Guangdong is a province on the South China Sea coast of the People's Republic of China. The province was previously often written with the alternative English name Kwangtung Province...
Province and eight other men were hospitalized in the People's Hospital of Guangzhou. Wang Funian and Hou Shangjian, both from Taihe Town, died in May after drinking liquor bought from the same vendor. Two other men, one a migrant worker, died the previous night in Zhongluotan in Hunan
Hunan
' is a province of South-Central China, located to the south of the middle reaches of the Yangtze River and south of Lake Dongting...
Province. Authorities in the local health department suspected that the makers of the fake liquor blended industrial alcohol and rice wine
Rice wine
Rice wine is an alcoholic beverage made from rice. Unlike wine, which is made by fermentation of naturally sweet grapes and other fruit, rice "wine" results from the fermentation of rice starch converted to sugars...
, and closed several unlicensed liquor manufacturers.
Soy sauce made from human hair
Stories began circulating in the press about cheap soy sauceSoy sauce
Soy sauce is a condiment produced by fermenting soybeans with Aspergillus oryzae or Aspergillus sojae molds, along with water and salt...
s made from human hair. These sauces were manufactured in China using a chemical amino acid
Amino acid
Amino acids are molecules containing an amine group, a carboxylic acid group and a side-chain that varies between different amino acids. The key elements of an amino acid are carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, and nitrogen...
extraction process similar to artificially hydrolyzed soy sauces and then quietly exported to other countries. An investigative report that aired on Chinese television exposed the unsanitary and potentially contaminated sources of the hair:
In response, the Chinese government banned production of soy sauces made from hair. Other carcinogens remain, see 3-MCPD
3-MCPD
3-MCPD or is an organic chemical compound which is carcinogenic and highly suspected to be genotoxic in humans, has male anti-fertility effects, and is a chemical byproduct which may be formed in foods, the most commonly found member of chemical contaminants known as chloropropanols.It is...
.
Sudan I Red Dye
In 1996, China banned food manufacturers from using Sudan ISudan I
Sudan I , is a lysochrome, a diazo-conjugate dye with the chemical formula of 1-phenylazo-2-naphthol. Sudan I is a powdered substance with an orange-red appearance. The additive is mainly used to colour waxes, oils, petrol, solvents and polishes...
red dye to color their products. China followed a number of other developed nations in banning the dye due to its links to cancer and other negative health effects. However, officials in the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine, the State Bureau of Industry and Commerce, and the State Food and Drug Administration discovered in 2005 that Sudan I was being used in food in many major Chinese cities. In Beijing, the Heinz
H. J. Heinz Company
The H. J. Heinz Company , commonly known as Heinz and famous for its "57 Varieties" slogan and its ketchup, is an American food company with world headquarters in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.Perhaps best known for its ketchup, the H.J...
Company added the red dye to chili sauce
Hot sauce
Hot sauce, chili sauce or pepper sauce refers to any spicy sauce made from chili peppers and other ingredients.-Ingredients:There are many recipes for hot sauces - the common ingredient being any kind of peppers. A group of chemicals called capsaicinoids are responsible for the heat in chili peppers...
; in Guangdong
Guangdong
Guangdong is a province on the South China Sea coast of the People's Republic of China. The province was previously often written with the alternative English name Kwangtung Province...
, Zhejiang
Zhejiang
Zhejiang is an eastern coastal province of the People's Republic of China. The word Zhejiang was the old name of the Qiantang River, which passes through Hangzhou, the provincial capital...
, Hunan
Hunan
' is a province of South-Central China, located to the south of the middle reaches of the Yangtze River and south of Lake Dongting...
, and Fuzhou
Fuzhou
Fuzhou is the capital and one of the largest cities in Fujian Province, People's Republic of China. Along with the many counties of Ningde, those of Fuzhou are considered to constitute the Mindong linguistic and cultural area....
provinces, the red dye was discovered in vegetables and noodles. Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) used the red dye in its 1,200 restaurants, and medicine
Medicine
Medicine is the science and art of healing. It encompasses a variety of health care practices evolved to maintain and restore health by the prevention and treatment of illness....
in Shanghai
Shanghai
Shanghai is the largest city by population in China and the largest city proper in the world. It is one of the four province-level municipalities in the People's Republic of China, with a total population of over 23 million as of 2010...
also contained Sudan I.
Companies in China had been using Sudan I illegally for years before 2005, and government officials gave two reasons why the 1996 ban had not been adequately enforced. The first reason was that there were too many agencies overseeing food production, creating loopholes and inefficiency. The second reason was that the government agencies were not equipped or trained with the food testing equipment that could have detected the dye earlier. Officials announced that they would begin to reform the food safety system on national and local levels.
Counterfeit drugs
The State Food and Drug Administration reported that their officials had resolved 14 cases involving fake drugs and 17 cases involving "health accidents" at drug manufacturing facilities. One of these incidents involved fake Armillarisni A; ten people injected with the fake drug died in May, 2006. The drug quality inspectors at the factory that produced the Armillarisni A drugs failed to notice that the chemical diglycol had been added to drugs. In July, 2006, six people died and 80 more became sick after ingesting an antibioticAntibiotic
An antibacterial is a compound or substance that kills or slows down the growth of bacteria.The term is often used synonymously with the term antibiotic; today, however, with increased knowledge of the causative agents of various infectious diseases, antibiotic has come to denote a broader range of...
with disinfectant as an ingredient. In 2006, the government also "revoked the business licenses of 160 drug manufacturers and retailers."
School food poisoning
On September 1, 2006, more than 300 students at Chongzhou City Experimental Primary School in China's Sichuan Province got food poisoning after lunch. Of those, approximately 200 students had to be hospitalized due to headaches, fevers, vomiting, and diarrhea. The school was temporarily closed for an investigation. On the same day, middle school students in China's Liaoning Province also got food poisoning after eating dinner at school. The Ministry of Education ordered an investigation, and officials suspected that the cause of the food poisoning was unsanitary conditions at the schools. During summer vacation, the schools had not been cleaned or disinfected, and the pupils might have been exposed to unsanitary food or drinking water when they returned in September.Contaminated turbot fish
In late 2006, officials in ShanghaiShanghai
Shanghai is the largest city by population in China and the largest city proper in the world. It is one of the four province-level municipalities in the People's Republic of China, with a total population of over 23 million as of 2010...
and Beijing discovered illegal amounts of chemicals in turbot
Turbot
The turbot is a species of flatfish in the family Scophthalmidae. It is native to marine or brackish waters of the North Atlantic, Baltic Sea and the Mediterranean Sea.-Etymology:...
. As The Epoch Times
The Epoch Times
The Epoch Times is a multi-language, international media organisation. As a newspaper, the Times has been publishing in Chinese since May 2000. It was founded in 1999 by supporters of the Falun Gong spiritual discipline....
explained, "China started importing turbot from Europe in 1992. Currently, China's annual output is 40,000 tons. Since turbot have weak immune systems, some farmers use prohibited drugs to maintain their productivity, as their fish-farming technologies are not sufficient to prevent disease." Shanghai officials from the Shanghai Food and Drug Administration found carcinogenic nitrofuran metabolites in the fish and Beijing found additional drugs, including malachite green
Malachite green
Malachite green is an organic compound that is used as a dyestuff and has emerged as a controversial agent in aquaculture. Malachite green is traditionally used as a dye for materials such as silk, leather, and paper...
, in its fish. Other cities, including Hangzhou, have begun testing turbot fish and banning the turbot shipped from Shandong Province. Many restaurants in Shanghai, Beijing, and Hong Kong stopped purchasing turbot after officials discovered the high amounts of illegal antibiotics.
Pesticide residue on vegetables
In early 2006, Greenpeace tested vegetables in two Hong KongHong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
grocery stores, Parknshop and Wellcome, and discovered that over 70% of their samples were covered in pesticide residue. Thirty percent of their vegetable samples exceeded safe levels of pesticides and several tested positive for illegal pesticides, such as DDT, HCH and Lindane. Greenpeace explained that nearly 80% of vegetables in these grocery stores originated from mainland China. John Chapple, manager of Sinoanalytica, a Qingdao-based food analysis laboratory, supplemented Greenpeace's information. He was not surprised by the findings and explained that farmers in China have little knowledge of correct pesticide use.
Although many Chinese farms are converting to organic agriculture, pesticide use in many areas remains high.
Infected snail meat
In June, July, and August 2006, the Shuguo Yanyi Restaurant in Beijing served raw Amazonian snail meat and, as a result, 70 diners were diagnosed with angiostrongylus meningitis. The snail meat contained Angiostrongylus cantonesisAngiostrongylus cantonesis
Angiostrongylus cantonensis is a parasitic nematode which causes Angiostrongyliasis, the most common cause of eosinophilic meningitis in Southeast Asia and the Pacific Basin. The nematode commonly resides in the pulmonary arteries of rats, giving it the nickname the rat lungworm...
, "a parasite that harms people's nervous system" causing headaches, vomiting, stiff necks, and fevers. No one died from the meningitis outbreak and the Beijing Municipal Office of Health inspection did not find any more raw snails in 2,000 other restaurants. However, the Beijing Municipal Office of Health prohibited restaurants from serving raw or half-cooked snails and disciplined the Shuguo Yanyi Restaurant. The Beijing Friendship Hospital, where the first meningitis case was treated, began a program to educate doctors on the treatment of angiostrongylus meningitis. The Guangzhou Center for Disease Control and Prevention explained that these meningitis cases were the first outbreaks since the 1980s.
Poisonous mushrooms
In December 2006, sixteen diners were hospitalized after eating a poisonous variety of boletus mushrooms in Beijing at the Dayali Roast Duck Restaurant. The mushrooms caused nausea, vomiting, and dizziness and the ill diners were treated at the Bo'ai Hospital and the 307 Hospital of the People's Liberation Army.In November 2006, Chinese authorities at the Ministry of Health had warned of the rising number of mushroom poisonings. "From July to September, 31 people were killed and 183 were poisoned by toxic mushrooms." Officials worried that the public could not accurately separate edible mushrooms from poisonous ones.
Counterfeit drugs
According to John Newton of InterpolInterpol
Interpol, whose full name is the International Criminal Police Organization – INTERPOL, is an organization facilitating international police cooperation...
, Chinese organized crime is involved in working across national boundaries and faking drugs on an industrial scale, now appearing throughout Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
. China Central Television
China Central Television
China Central Television or Chinese Central Television, commonly abbreviated as CCTV, is the major state television broadcaster in mainland China. CCTV has a network of 19 channels broadcasting different programmes and is accessible to more than one billion viewers...
cited an official saying those making the false albumin
Albumin
Albumin refers generally to any protein that is water soluble, which is moderately soluble in concentrated salt solutions, and experiences heat denaturation. They are commonly found in blood plasma, and are unique to other blood proteins in that they are not glycosylated...
were making a 300% profit, assisted by shortages of the genuine product.
Alleged carcinogen used in frying oil
In March 2007, the Guangzhou Information Times accused Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) of adding oil filtering powder, magnesium trisilicateMagnesium trisilicate
Magnesium trisilicate is an inorganic compound that is used as a food additive. The additive is often employed by fast food chains to absorb fatty acids and remove impurities that form in edible oils during the frying process.-Health effects:...
, to its frying oil. It reported that KFC restaurants in several cities in the northwest Shaanxi
Shaanxi
' is a province in the central part of Mainland China, and it includes portions of the Loess Plateau on the middle reaches of the Yellow River in addition to the Qinling Mountains across the southern part of this province...
Province used this chemical so that the frying oil could be used repeatedly for up to ten days. KFC pointed out that the additive is considered safe by United States and international standards, but health officials in Xianyang, Yulin, and Xi'an, all cities in the Shaanxi Province, inspected their local KFCs and confiscated the frying powder. Gaungzhou city officials also began in investigation into the frying oils, and the cities requested that the Ministry of Health step in. KFC stated that the oil filtering powder does not caused health problems and meets local and international standards, but local Chinese authorities claimed that reusing the powder decreased its nutritional value and that it was connected to cancer. Magnesium trisilicate is commonly used in medicines such as antacids, and is widely considered to be safe for human consumption with no known connections to cancer.
Contaminated wheat gluten and rice protein used for export
In May 2007, The General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection, and Quarantine (AQSIQ) confirmed that two domestic companies had exported melamineMelamine
Melamine is an organic base and a trimer of cyanamide, with a 1,3,5-triazine skeleton. Like cyanamide, it contains 66% nitrogen by mass and, if mixed with resins, has fire retardant properties due to its release of nitrogen gas when burned or charred, and has several other industrial uses....
-contaminated Wheat Gluten
Wheat gluten
Wheat gluten can refer to:* The gluten found in wheat, a sticky substance composed of the proteins gliadin and glutenin* Wheat gluten , a food prepared from these proteins, such as seitan or wheatmeat...
and rice protein
Rice protein
Rice protein is a vegetarian protein that, for some, is more easily digestible than whey protein. Brown rice can be treated with enzymes that will cause carbohydrates to separate from proteins. The resulting protein powder is then sometimes flavored or added to smoothies or health shakes.Rice...
blamed for the deaths of dogs and cats in the United States. In August 2007, AQSIQ introduced recall systems for unsafe food products and toys and on December 3, 2007, China ordered 69 categories of products to be bar-coded at factories amid efforts to improve product safety, in response to several recent incidents, including: "scares rang[ing] from ducks and hens that were fed cancer-causing Sudan Red dye to make their egg yolks red, to pet food made of melamine-tainted wheat protein that killed scores of dogs and cats in the United States." See also 2007 pet food crisis.
Sewage used in tofu manufacturing
Close to a hundred manufacturers of stinky tofuStinky tofu
Stinky tofu or chòu dòufu is a form of fermented tofu that has a strong odor. It is a popular snack in East and Southeast Asia, particularly mainland China, Taiwan and Hong Kong and in East Asian enclaves elsewhere where it is usually found homemade, at night markets or roadside stands, or as a...
in Guangdong province were found to use a combination of sewage
Sewage
Sewage is water-carried waste, in solution or suspension, that is intended to be removed from a community. Also known as wastewater, it is more than 99% water and is characterized by volume or rate of flow, physical condition, chemical constituents and the bacteriological organisms that it contains...
, slop, and Iron(II) sulfate
Iron(II) sulfate
Iron sulfate or ferrous sulfate is the chemical compound with the formula FeSO4. Known since ancient times as copperas and as green vitriol, the blue-green heptahydrate is the most common form of this material...
to accelerate production and improve appearance of their fermented
Fermentation (food)
Fermentation in food processing typically is the conversion of carbohydrates to alcohols and carbon dioxide or organic acids using yeasts, bacteria, or a combination thereof, under anaerobic conditions. Fermentation in simple terms is the chemical conversion of sugars into ethanol...
product.
Tainted Chinese dumplings
In January 2008, several Japanese people in the HyōgoHyogo Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located in the Kansai region on Honshū island. The capital is Kobe.The prefecture's name was previously alternately spelled as Hiogo.- History :...
and Chiba
Chiba Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located in the Kantō region and the Greater Tokyo Area. Its capital is Chiba City.- History :Chiba Prefecture was established on June 15, 1873 with the merger of Kisarazu Prefecture and Inba Prefecture...
prefectures fell ill after consuming Chinese-produced jiaozi
Jiaozi
Jiǎozi 餃子 or 饺子 , bánh bột luộc , gyōza , Mo:Mo: or Momocha म:म: or ममचा , or pot sticker is a Chinese dumpling widely spread to Japan, Eastern and Western Asia.Jiaozi typically consist of a ground meat and/or vegetable filling wrapped into...
(pork dumplings) tainted with the insecticide methamidophos
Methamidophos
Methamidophos is an organophosphate insecticide.Crops grown with the use of methamidophos include some Latin American rice. Many nations use methamidophos on crops, including developed nations such as Spain, US, Japan, and Australia...
. The dumplings had been produced by the Tianyang Food Plant in Hebei Province and sold by JT Foods and the Japanese Consumers' Co-operative Union. Kyodo News
Kyodo News
is a nonprofit cooperative news agency based in Minato, Tokyo. It was established in November 1945 and it distributes news to almost all newspapers, and radio and television networks in Japan. The newspapers using its news have about 50 million subscribers. K. K. Kyodo News is Kyodo News' business...
reported that about 500 people complained of agonies. On February 5, 2008, Hyōgo and Chiba prefectural police announced that they were treating these cases as attempted murder. and both prefectural police departments established a joint investigation team.
When Japanese police and other prefectural authorities inspected the recalled dumplings, they found pesticides other than methamidophos, including Dichlorvos
Dichlorvos
Dichlorvos or 2,2-dichlorovinyl dimethyl phosphate is a highly volatile organophosphate, widely used as a insecticide to control household pests, in public health, and protecting stored product from insects. It is effective against mushroom flies, aphids, spider mites, caterpillars, thrips, and...
and Parathion
Parathion
Parathion, also called parathion-ethyl or diethyl parathion, is an organophosphate compound. It is a potent insecticide and acaricide. It was originally developed by IG Farben in the 1940s. It is highly toxic to non-target organisms, including humans. Its use is banned or restricted in many...
. The Japanese National Police Agency
National Police Agency (Japan)
The is an agency administered by the National Public Safety Commission of the Cabinet Office in the cabinet of Japan, and is the central coordinating agency of the Japanese police system....
found these toxins in packages that were completely sealed, concluding that it would have been nearly impossible to insert such toxins into the packages from the outside. They provided the test results to the Ministry of Public Security of China
Ministry of Public Security of the People's Republic of China
The Ministry of Public Security , is the principal police and security authority of the mainland of the People's Republic of China and the government agency that exercises oversight over and is ultimately responsible for day-to-day law enforcement...
(MPS).
Investigations jointly held by both the Chinese and Japanese governments cleared the Chinese company of responsibility after finding no traces of any poison in the raw material used nor in the factory.
Officials are now treating this incident as a deliberate poisoning, and an investigation is underway.
On February 28, 2008 the MPS criminal investigation bureau announced that there was little chance that methamidophos had been put into the dumplings in China, and declared that the Japanese police had rejected the requirement by the MPS to check the scene, relative material evidences, and test reports, thus information on the evidence was not fully provided to the MPS. On the same day, Hiroto Yoshimura, the Comissionor-General of Japan's National Police Agency, argued against the Chinese authorities that the Japanese had already offered test results and photographic evidence and claimed that some part of China's assertion "cannot be overlooked". They asked Chinese authorities to offer evidence.
On August 5, 2008, Japanese media revealed that some Chinese people who had eaten the recalled Chinese dumplings made by Tianyang Food had also become sick after the incident in Japan, in mid-June 2008; the cause was again found to have been methamidophos contamination. The Chinese government
Government of the People's Republic of China
All power within the government of the People's Republic of China is divided among three bodies: the People's Republic of China, State Council, and the People's Liberation Army . This article is concerned with the formal structure of the state, its departments and their responsibilities...
alerted the Japanese government to this fact just before the 34th G8 summit
34th G8 summit
The 34th G8 summit took place in on the northern island of Hokkaidō, Japan from July 7–9, 2008. The locations of previous summits to have been hosted by Japan include: Tokyo ; and Nago, Okinawa . The G8 Summit has evolved beyond being a gathering of world political leaders...
in July 2008. The Yomiuri Shimbun
Yomiuri Shimbun
The is a Japanese newspaper published in Tokyo, Osaka, Fukuoka, and other major Japanese cities. It is one of the five national newspapers in Japan; the other four are the Asahi Shimbun, the Mainichi Shimbun, Nihon Keizai Shimbun, and the Sankei Shimbun...
reported that this incident has increased the suspicion of foods produced in China.
Contaminated powdered ginger
In July 2008, it was announced that the Whole FoodsWhole Foods Market
Whole Foods Market is a foods supermarket chain based in Austin, Texas which emphasizes "natural and organic products." The company has been ranked among the most socially responsible businesses and placed third on the U.S...
supermarket chain in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
had been selling powdered ginger
Ginger
Ginger is the rhizome of the plant Zingiber officinale, consumed as a delicacy, medicine, or spice. It lends its name to its genus and family . Other notable members of this plant family are turmeric, cardamom, and galangal....
produced in China, which was labeled as organic food
Organic food
Organic foods are foods that are produced using methods that do not involve modern synthetic inputs such as synthetic pesticides and chemical fertilizers, do not contain genetically modified organisms, and are not processed using irradiation, industrial solvents, or chemical food additives.For the...
, but when tested was found to contain the banned pesticide
Pesticide
Pesticides are substances or mixture of substances intended for preventing, destroying, repelling or mitigating any pest.A pesticide may be a chemical unicycle, biological agent , antimicrobial, disinfectant or device used against any pest...
Aldicarb
Aldicarb
Aldicarb is a carbamate insecticide which is the active substance in the pesticide Temik. It is effective against thrips, aphids, spider mites, lygus, fleahoppers, and leafminers, but is primarily used as a nematicide. Aldicarb is a cholinesterase inhibitor which prevents the breakdown of...
. The ginger had been mistakenly certified organic by Quality Assurance International
Quality Assurance International
Quality Assurance International is a U.S.-based international organic certification company that is authorized by the United States Department of Agriculture as “a USDA-accredited certifying agent that operates globally to certify organic operations to National Organic Program standards.” It is...
, who relied on two Chinese certifiers because, under Chinese law
Chinese law
Chinese law is one of the oldest legal traditions in the world. In the 20th and 21st century, law in China has been a complex mix of traditional Chinese approaches and Western influences....
, foreigners may not inspect Chinese farms.
Contaminated baby formula
In September 2008, a fresh outbreak of kidney disease occurred, due to baby formula contaminated by melamineMelamine
Melamine is an organic base and a trimer of cyanamide, with a 1,3,5-triazine skeleton. Like cyanamide, it contains 66% nitrogen by mass and, if mixed with resins, has fire retardant properties due to its release of nitrogen gas when burned or charred, and has several other industrial uses....
. Six babies died and 294,000 were made sick by the tainted formula with 51,900 requiring hospitalization. The supplier of the milk, Sanlu Group
Sanlu Group
Sanlu Group was a state-owned Chinese dairy products company based in Shijiazhuang, the capital city of Hebei Province. It was one of the oldest and most popular brands of infant formula in China. New Zealand's Fonterra owned 43% of Sanlu....
, is a name brand and is a major player in the industry in China. The company is said to have known of the problem for months, but claims the contaminant came from milk suppliers.
Contaminated egg products
In October 2008 news emerged certain egg products produced by Hanwei GroupHanwei Group
Hanwei Group is a company based in Dalian, China. It is China's biggest producer of eggs. As of October 2008, it has become embroiled in a scandal involving traces of melamine being found in its eggs.-Overview:...
were also contaminated with melamine
Melamine
Melamine is an organic base and a trimer of cyanamide, with a 1,3,5-triazine skeleton. Like cyanamide, it contains 66% nitrogen by mass and, if mixed with resins, has fire retardant properties due to its release of nitrogen gas when burned or charred, and has several other industrial uses....
.
Plastic tapioca pearls
Tapioca pearls used for bubble teaBubble tea
Bubble tea is the name for pearl milk tea and other similar tea and juice beverages that originated in tea shops in Taichung, Taiwan during the 1980s. Drink recipes may vary, but most bubble teas contain a tea base mixed with fruit and/or milk...
were adulterated with macromolecular polymer
Polymer
A polymer is a large molecule composed of repeating structural units. These subunits are typically connected by covalent chemical bonds...
s to improve their texture.
Pesticide in mantou
To improve the chewiness and texture of the mantouMantou
Mantou, often referred to as Chinese steamed bun/bread, is a kind of steamed bun originating in China. They are typically eaten as a staple in northern parts of China where wheat, rather than rice, is grown. They are made with milled wheat flour, water and leavening agents...
(steamed buns) the pesticide
Pesticide
Pesticides are substances or mixture of substances intended for preventing, destroying, repelling or mitigating any pest.A pesticide may be a chemical unicycle, biological agent , antimicrobial, disinfectant or device used against any pest...
Dichlorvos
Dichlorvos
Dichlorvos or 2,2-dichlorovinyl dimethyl phosphate is a highly volatile organophosphate, widely used as a insecticide to control household pests, in public health, and protecting stored product from insects. It is effective against mushroom flies, aphids, spider mites, caterpillars, thrips, and...
was added. In addition, sulphur was used to whiten the buns to improve their physical appearance.
Goat urine duck meat
Businesses in QingdaoQingdao
' also known in the West by its postal map spelling Tsingtao, is a major city with a population of over 8.715 million in eastern Shandong province, Eastern China. Its built up area, made of 7 urban districts plus Jimo city, is home to about 4,346,000 inhabitants in 2010.It borders Yantai to the...
have been caught marinating duck meat in goat
Goat
The domestic goat is a subspecies of goat domesticated from the wild goat of southwest Asia and Eastern Europe. The goat is a member of the Bovidae family and is closely related to the sheep as both are in the goat-antelope subfamily Caprinae. There are over three hundred distinct breeds of...
or sheep urine
Urine
Urine is a typically sterile liquid by-product of the body that is secreted by the kidneys through a process called urination and excreted through the urethra. Cellular metabolism generates numerous by-products, many rich in nitrogen, that require elimination from the bloodstream...
to give the duck the smell and taste of lamb. The duck is then sold as lamb to customers.
Formaldehyde blood pudding
WuhanWuhan
Wuhan is the capital of Hubei province, People's Republic of China, and is the most populous city in Central China. It lies at the east of the Jianghan Plain, and the intersection of the middle reaches of the Yangtze and Han rivers...
inspectors discovered that most of the pork
Pork
Pork is the culinary name for meat from the domestic pig , which is eaten in many countries. It is one of the most commonly consumed meats worldwide, with evidence of pig husbandry dating back to 5000 BC....
blood pudding in Chinese markets contain little actual blood, but is manufactured with formaldehyde
Formaldehyde
Formaldehyde is an organic compound with the formula CH2O. It is the simplest aldehyde, hence its systematic name methanal.Formaldehyde is a colorless gas with a characteristic pungent odor. It is an important precursor to many other chemical compounds, especially for polymers...
, corn starch, industrial grade salt, in addition to artificial food colouring.