Inspectors check frozen meat seized in Shenzhen, Guangdong province, April 15, 2015. (Photo/Beijing News)
(ECNS) -- Expired frozen meat smuggled into China, some of it decades old, came mainly from foreign strategic food reserves and has been distributed to small cities throughout the country before being sold to food stalls and small restaurants, Beijing News reports.
China has cracked down on meat smugglers seizing more than 100,000 tonnes of frozen meat, with some of the packaging dating to the 1970s.
The illegal meat, which included chicken wings, beef and pork worth up to 3 billion yuan ($483 million), was confiscated by China's General Administration of Customs.
Most of it came from foreign strategic food reserves, including those of the United States, with some of the meat making its way onto the market when reserves were being replaced, said a beef dealer surnamed Cui.
Most countries freeze large amounts of meat as strategic food reserves and to stabilize prices, though the produce is later discarded when too old, the report stated.
"China's relevant rules stipulate frozen pork and mutton expire after eight to 12 months, but the international practice is longer, even up to two years," Gao Guan, the deputy secretary of the China Meat Association, was quoted as saying.
Most of the expired meat smuggled into the country was found in second and third tier Chinese cities, it was added.
"After an extended period of refrigeration, the surface of the beef oxidized and darkened," says Cui, "It's not suitable for consumption or sale, but for ordinary diners, it's hard to taste the difference after it is marinated and deep fried."
