Police discover 40 year-old expired meat in China

World Today

Chinese police busted 21 gangs in June for smuggling frozen meat products in 14 provinces. In their investigation, they also discovered a batch of expired meat from the 1970s, China’s General Administration of Customs said.

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The administration said they sealed more than 100,000 metric tons of smuggled frozen meat worth up to 3 billion yuan ($483 million). Among the items seized were frozen chicken feet, beef, and pork. The expired meat was found to be treated with chemicals and bleach so they appeared fresh to potential buyers.

Spurred by high profits, these underground networks generally purchase meat for very low prices from other countries, and then deliver it to Hong Kong in refrigerated containers.

The products were then moved to the mainland via Vietnam, where smugglers hired residents in border areas to move the products to Chinese cities. To save money, the expired meat was transported in vans, causing some of the products to thaw before making their way to restaurants and supermarkets.

Some experts have proposed establishing a nationwide supervision network and enhanced controls in border regions, to prevent such incidents from happening again.

Story by CCTV News