Horrific stories of food contamination have become almost commonplace in China from oil skimmed from sewers to rat meat to fake eggs (here and here and here and here and here and here). While the Chinese government has jailed food safety advocates and censored many stories, it is struggling to combat massive corruption and criminal elements in its food supply system. A story this week out of the province of Shandong in eastern China tells just how massive this problem is. A criminal gang in eastern China has sold almost 100 metric tons (110.23 tons) of toxic tofu. The tofu was mixed with rongalite powder, a cancer causing chemical banned in all foods. The gang was using it to make the tofu look whiter and fresher. The gang was selling tofu sticks called “fuzhu”, a popular snack in China.
The three cousins leading the gang were found to be running a filthy plant with bags of rongalite along the walls and dirt on every surface. The police seized at least 10 tons of “toxic” tofu. Four men were arrested.
Only a few months ago, two children died and 30 were injured in Yunnan province when rat poison was found in kindergarten snacks.
Source: International Business Times
When the fu itShays wear it. But not if it lands on the toe.
Darren, Amen!
Paul–you do make me laugh. “I keep telling my wife tofu is bad for you.” Laughed..but damn…this story is horrifying.
Don’t buy food from China. Don’t buy processed foods as they could have Chinese ingredients within them.
If these two tenets of which I follow were accepted by most in America manufactures would stop sourcing from China.
But as long as the consumer have a preference of price and convenience over quality and health these practices are going to continue.
Reblogged this on Citizens, not serfs.
Blue Bird, you are so correct! We need clear labeling of our food so that consumers can choose. Big corporations don’t want that; then they would really have to compete.
China sends all the stuff it doesn’t want to the US. I assume we will soon be seeing these “treats” here. Our big food Corporations have to be competitive.
Pay l little more and buy American it could save your life.
And the bottom of the bottle is thick as well.
And with humanity.
Isaac, Thank you.
That product mentioned in the article is termed “WhoFlungFu”.
John Wayne told the troops in the jungle in Nam to “Smoke em if ya gottem”. Whats wrong with some cancer causing treats? We are all gonna die anyway.
The Duke was using that phrase in WWII movies long before he did The Green Berets.
Obama now allows chicken to be processed in China and sent back here unmarked.
Spinelli,
There’s ‘through a glass darkly’ and then there’s you, with your text on the bottom of the bottle regardless of what’s on the other side. Your constant rant is the perfect example of what is wrong with this country.
This is one case where the family should pay for the bullet.
It was lovely seeing our President groveling in front of the Chinese, trying to stay relevant. The world has seen how Putin has played Obama and the Chinese will do the same. Look for military action in the Pacific soon.
Tofu will turn a man into a woman. Dintcha know?
I keep telling my wife that tofu is bad for you. Thanks for the article. This will nail it for me. I do know that the piracy of movie dvds is down, if that makes anyone feel any better.
Really, some of these absolutely disgusting ingredients would seem to be more expensive to recover and use than the products they are supposed to be replacing.
Penn & Teller did a recycling episode of B**sh**t, and concluded that most recycling was more expensive than manufacturing the things in the first place (except for aluminum cans).
Rat meat for sheep meat? Isn’t collecting that many rats going to be much more effort and expensive than slaughtering a sheep? Making faux chicken eggs, one at a time with alginate and gypsum, isn’t that a lot more time and effort than just getting an egg from chicken?
I am sure that many of the Chinese toxic ingredients are as bad as is said here, but some of those stories have the feel of urban legends.