Posted before about food adulteration in pet-food contaminated with melamine, a chemical typically used in plastics and pesticides. , and since then we have had toxic Chinese toothpaste , contaminated with diethylene glycol, a potentially dangerous chemical used in antifreeze. Now , finally Chinese authorities have begun to act .
Chinese officials have shut down 180 food manufacturers so far this year after finding such potentially toxic ingredients as formaldehyde in candy, pickles, biscuits and other common foods.
"These are not isolated cases," Han Yi, director of the government's quality control and inspection department, was quoted as saying.
The government said it had seized 23,000 cases of fake and low-quality food valued at $26 million between December and May.
Inspectors found traces of dyes, mineral oils, paraffin wax, formaldehyde and malachite green chloride, an anti-fungal agent used in fish farming that is a suspected carcinogen. The various substances had been used in the manufacturing of flour, candy, pickles, biscuits, melon seeds, bean curd and seafood .There have been several scares involving food or other goods including stale rice snacks, diseased pork, potentially poisonous fish and other harmful or fake products.
The scandals are seriously hurting China's food-processing industry .which had an estimated value of just under $250 billion in 2005.
"They hurt very much," said Hu Xiaosong, vice president of food science and nutrition at China Agricultural University.
Hurt sales . Hurt profits .
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