Report says Tianjin plants use dangerous ingredients
Manufacturers at a township in North China's Tianjin Municipality were allegedly found to be counterfeiting brands of food seasoning, like Nestle and Totole, worth more than 1 billion yuan ($145 million), media reported on Monday.
At least 50 plants were allegedly counterfeiting the products in Duliu township, which is known for producing vinegar in northern China, The Beijing News reported. The goods manufactured every day have an estimated value of 500,000 yuan.
A manufacturer surnamed Liu said they have all the popular seasoning brands, including Totole's granulated chicken flavor soup base mix, Nestle's Maggi cooking sauce and Wang Shouyi Shi San Xiang's multi-flavored spice.
The counterfeit soy source is made from industrial salt, artificial coloring and food additives and tap water, the report said.
"Industrial salt is considered dangerous. It contains hazardous chemicals like nitrite - a carcinogen - and heavy metals, which harm the liver and kidney," said Liu Shaowei, a food safety professor at the East China University of Science and Technology.
The report also said that after being used by nearby factories making sunflower seeds, leftover star anise, Sichuan pepper and fennel are dried, grounded, processed and labeled as the multi-flavored spice.
The packaging of fake products is the same as the authentic ones, such as the font size and color, and even the QR codes, The Beijing News reported.
The workers often manufacture the products in the afternoon or at night, which were quickly dispatched. Storing limited inventories made it difficult for food safety supervisors to conduct raids.
A sampling inspection conducted by the China Food and Drug Administration for the upcoming Spring Festival shows six batches of 11 types of food, including meat, edible oil, beverages, dairy products, fruits and wine flunked, with 1,392 batches passing the inspection, China News Service reported on Monday.
A poll involving 4,258 people from 59 cities and released by a food safety poll center attached to the administration in 2015, showed that Chinese people are getting less satisfied with food safety in the country.
President Xi Jinping has called for greater efforts to ensure food safety, noting there are still many problems despite improved food safety, the Xinhua News Agency reported on January 3.
He also called for the most rigorous standards, the most stringent regulation, the most severe punishment as well as the most serious accountability for improving food safety controls.
