While Chinese are faced with a public health crisis due to poisonous clouds of pollution chocking the country’s cities, they must also be wary of what they eat following a food scandal involving nearly US$500 million of decades-old rotting meat.
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It total, 100,000 tons of chicken wings, beef and pork were seized in the nationwide crackdown, according to China Daily. Some of the meat in question dates back to the rule of Communist China's founding father Mao Zedong.
"It was smelly, and I nearly threw up when I opened the door," said an official from Hunan Province.
Fourteen gangs were found to be involved in the meat trafficking in which the rotting “food” was bought abroad and smuggled through Vietnam and Hong Kong before being sold on the mainland.
Yang Bo, deputy director of the anti-smuggling bureau, said that in addition to being ancient, the meat was transported in deplorable conditions. "To save costs, smugglers often hire ordinary vehicles instead of refrigerated ones. So the meat has often thawed out several times before reaching customers."
Experts have called on the country to establish a nationwide supervision network and improved screening processes at border gates to prevent similar incidents in the future.
[Photo (for illustrative purposes) from AFP]
