Food safety incidents in China have received increased international media scrutiny following the reform and opening of the country, and its joining the World Trade Organization. Urban areas have become more aware of food safety as their incomes rise. Food safety agencies in China have overlapping duties. The 2008 Chinese milk scandal and COVID-19 pandemic received the most international attention among food safety incidents.
Food safety incidents in 2002
Chemical brighteners in mushrooms
From around 2002 to 2012, chemical brighteners were used by many Chinese farmers to enhance the appearance of their white mushrooms. This illegal use was mostly eliminated by the Chinese Ministry of Agriculture.
Food safety incidents in 2003
Poisonous Jinhua ham
In 2003, several small producers of Jinhua hams (from Jinhua, Zhejiang) operated out of season and produced hams during warmer months, treating their hams with pesticides to prevent spoilage and insect infestation. The hams were soaked in the pesticide dichlorvos, which is a volatile organophosphate insecticide used for fumigation.
Food safety incidents in 2004
Counterfeit baby formula In April, at least 13 babies in Fuyang, Anhui, and 50–60 more in rural areas of Anhui died of malnourishment from ingesting fake powdered milk. In addition, 100–200 other babies in the province suffered malnutrition but survived. Local officials in Fuyang arrested 47 people who were responsible for making and selling the fake formula and investigators discovered 45 types of substandard formula for sale in Fuyang markets. Over 141 factories were responsible for the production of the formula and Chinese officials seized 2,540 bags of fake formula by mid-April. The State Food and Drug Administration ordered an investigation in May, 2004.
Within three days of ingesting the formula, the babies suffered from what Chinese doctors described as "big head disease", since the babies' heads swelled while their bodies became thinner from malnourishment. The fake formulas were tested to have only 1–6% protein when the national requirement was 10% protein. The government promised to compensate families and help cover medical bills. Most of the victims were rural families.
Adulterated pickled vegetables In June 2004, the Chengdu Quality Inspection Department released figures that only about 23% of all pickled vegetables produced in Chengdu, Sichuan, had an acceptable amount of chemical additives. The labels on the pickled vegetables that were supposed to indicate the chemical content were also found to be inaccurate. In Sichuan, the factories had been using industrial-grade salt to pickle the vegetables and had been spraying the pesticide DDVP on the pickled vegetables before shipment.
Counterfeit alcoholic drinks In spring 2004, four men died of alcohol poisoning in Guangdong and eight other men were hospitalized in the People's Hospital of Guangzhou. Wang Funian and Hou Shangjian, both from Taihe Town, died in May after drinking liquor bought from the same vendor. Two other men, one a migrant worker, died the previous night in Zhongluotan in Hunan. Authorities in the local health department suspected that the makers of the fake liquor blended industrial alcohol and rice wine, and closed several unlicensed liquor manufacturers.
Soy sauce made from human hair Stories began circulating in the press about cheap soy sauces made from human hair. These sauces were manufactured in China using a chemical amino acid extraction process similar to artificially hydrolyzed soy sauces and then quietly exported to other countries. An investigative report that aired on Chinese television exposed the unsanitary and potentially contaminated sources of the hair:
In response, the Chinese government banned production of soy sauces made from hair. Other carcinogens remain; see 3-MCPD.
Food safety incidents in 2005
Sudan I red dye In 1996, China banned food manufacturers from using Sudan I red dye to color their products. China followed a number of other developed nations in banning the dye due to its links to cancer and other negative health effects. However, officials in the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine, the State Bureau of Industry and Commerce, and the State Food and Drug Administration discovered in 2005 that Sudan I was being used in food in many major Chinese cities. In Beijing, the Heinz Company added the red dye to chili sauce; in Guangdong, Zhejiang, Hunan, and Fujian, the red dye was discovered in vegetables and noodles. Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) used the red dye in its 1,200 restaurants, and medicine in Shanghai also contained Sudan I.
Before the year 2005, companies in China had been using Sudan I illegally, and government officials gave two reasons why the 1996 ban had not been adequately enforced. The first reason was that there were too many agencies overseeing food production, creating loopholes and inefficiency. The second reason was that the government agencies were not equipped or trained with the food testing equipment that could have detected the dye earlier. Officials announced that they would begin to reform the food safety system on national and local levels.
Food safety incidents in 2006
Counterfeit drugs The State Food and Drug Administration reported that their officials had resolved 14 cases involving fake drugs and 17 cases involving "health accidents" at drug manufacturing facilities. One of these incidents involved fake Armillarisin A; ten people injected with the fake drug died in May 2006. The drug quality inspectors at the factory that produced the Armillarisin A drugs failed to notice that the chemical diglycol had been added to drugs. In July, 2006, six people died and 80 more became sick after ingesting an antibiotic with disinfectant as an ingredient.Barboza, David. "China Orders Investigation into Drug Industry." BBC News. February 9, 2007. BBC News In 2006, the government also "revoked the business licenses of 160 drug manufacturers and retailers."
School food poisoning On September 1, 2006, more than 300 students at Chongzhou Experimental Primary School in Chongzhou, Sichuan, got food poisoning after lunch. Of those, approximately 200 students had to be hospitalized due to headaches, fevers, vomiting, and diarrhea. The school was temporarily closed for an investigation. On the same day, middle school students in Liaoning also got food poisoning after eating dinner at school. The Ministry of Education ordered an investigation, and officials suspected that the cause of the food poisoning was unsanitary conditions at the schools. During summer vacation, the schools had not been cleaned or disinfected, and the pupils might have been exposed to unsanitary food or drinking water when they returned in September.
Contaminated turbot fish In late 2006, officials in Shanghai and Beijing discovered illegal amounts of chemicals in turbot. Shanghai officials from the Shanghai Food and Drug Administration found carcinogenic nitrofuran metabolites in the fish and Beijing found additional drugs, including malachite green, in its fish. Other cities, including Hangzhou, Zhejiang, have begun testing turbot fish and banning the turbot shipped from Shandong. Many restaurants in Shanghai, Beijing, and Hong Kong stopped purchasing turbot after officials discovered the high amounts of illegal antibiotics.
Pesticide residue on vegetables In early 2006, Greenpeace tested vegetables in two Hong Kong grocery stores, and discovered that only 30% of their samples contained acceptable amounts of pesticide residue. Some of the 70 percent failing the tests tested positive for illegal pesticides, such as DDT, HCH and Lindane. Greenpeace explained that nearly 80% of vegetables in these grocery stores originated from mainland China. John Chapple, manager of Sinoanalytica, a Qingdao-based food analysis laboratory, supplemented Greenpeace's information. He was not surprised by the findings and explained that farmers in China have little knowledge of correct pesticide use.Patton, Dominique. "Pesticide residues still high in Chinese vegetables." AP-FoodTechnology.com. April 25, 2006. AP Although many Chinese farms are converting to organic agriculture, pesticide use in many areas remains high.
Infected snail meat In June, July, and August 2006, the Shuguo Yanyi Restaurant in Beijing served raw Amazonian snail meat and, as a result, 70 diners were diagnosed with angiostrongylus meningitis. The snail meat contained Angiostrongylus cantonensis, "a parasite that harms people's nervous system" causing headaches, vomiting, stiff necks, and fevers. No one died from the meningitis outbreak and the Beijing Municipal Office of Health inspection did not find any more raw snails in 2,000 other restaurants. However, the Beijing Municipal Office of Health prohibited restaurants from serving raw or half-cooked snails and disciplined the Shuguo Yanyi Restaurant. The Beijing Friendship Hospital, where the first meningitis case was treated, began a program to educate doctors on the treatment of angiostrongylus meningitis. The Guangzhou Center for Disease Control and Prevention explained that these meningitis cases were the first outbreaks since the 1980s.
Poisonous mushrooms In December 2006, sixteen diners were hospitalized after eating a poisonous variety of boletus mushrooms in Beijing at the Dayali Roast Duck Restaurant. The mushrooms caused nausea, vomiting, and dizziness and the ill diners were treated at the Bo'ai Hospital and the 307 Hospital of the People's Liberation Army.
In November 2006, Chinese authorities at the Ministry of Health had warned of the rising number of mushroom poisonings. "From July to September, 31 people were killed and 183 were poisoned by toxic mushrooms." Officials worried that the public could not accurately separate edible mushrooms from poisonous ones.
Food safety incidents in 2007
Counterfeit drugs According to John Newton of Interpol, Chinese organized crime is involved in working across national boundaries and faking drugs on an industrial scale, now appearing throughout Africa. China Central Television cited an official saying those making the false albumin were making a 300% profit, assisted by shortages of the genuine product.
Alleged carcinogenic effects of frying oil reuse In March 2007, the Guangzhou-based Information Times reported that Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) restaurants in several cities in Shaanxi utilized magnesium trisilicate to extract impurities from frying oil, allowing it to be reused repeatedly for up to ten days. It was alleged that such repeated reuse of cooking oil could lead to a buildup of potentially carcinogenic byproducts such as acrylamide. KFC defended their practices as compliant with national food safety standards, and pointed out that the additive is considered safe by United States and international standards. Nonetheless, health officials in Xianyang, Yulin, and Xi'an, inspected local KFC outlets and confiscated stocks of the chemical, and the Shaanxi provincial health administration requested that the Ministry of Health step in. Officials in Guangzhou also began an investigation into the frying oils.
The Ministry of Health conducted tests at six KFC outlets, which showed that their use of magnesium trisilicate in filters used to purify cooking oil had no apparent impact on health.
Magnesium trisilicate is commonly used in medicines such as antacids, and is widely considered to be safe for human consumption with no known connections to cancer.
Contaminated wheat gluten and rice protein used for export