Oh boy. Food fraudsters in China ride again. Only weeks after the USDA reversed its ban on chicken processed in China and gave the okay for it to be served on American plates, another big Chinese food-fiddling story surfaced. To take advantage of beef’s higher prices over more lowly pork, greedy Chinese meat sellers took 44,000 pounds of pork and swished it around overnight in a mix of wax, industrial salts and other chemicals. Then abracadabra – by morning that pork had become beef and the charlatans had become richer, setting up yet another reason for American consumers to wonder if the USDA has misplaced their grey cells in allowing processed chicken (or any Chinese food) into the US.
Along with their okay, the USDA loftily declared Chinese factories would receive ZERO inspections during the chicken processing. After all, the factories had already been inspected a whole six months ago. Which apparently should satisfy everyone except maybe a bunch of cry baby, worry warts.
To show the extreme contrasts that exist between our two countries when it involves food in any way, two other dicey incidents were also recently reported in China. The first was the great escape of at least a million cockroaches from a Chinese farm where they were being raised for their medicinal properties. To this day it’s unknown how many really escaped and are currently chowing down in villager’s kitchens. According to an AP report, extracts of crushed cockroaches are used to treat cancer, reduce inflammation, and improve the body’s immunity and resilience.
Perhaps inspired by this break for freedom, 160 deadly cobras next broke out of their illegal breeding laboratory in southwestern China. They slithered into roads and kitchens and splashed in toilets before all but six were recaptured.
Unlike the roaches, the snakes were for eating. It’s said they increase male virility.
In the end do we really want to eat chicken processed in a country where food fraud seems to operate outside laws that are either nonexistent or unenforceable?
More on Food Mayhem in China:
- Chicken from China Sneaks in our Back Door
- Are You Eating Rice Harvested in a “Cancer Village”?
- Meat that Glows in the Dark Perfectly Safe to Eat
- What the Heck is Melamine Doing in Plates?
- Are Chicken Jerky Treats from China Killing Our Dogs?
Leave a Reply