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November 10, 2014

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100 tons of tofu sticks containing cancer chemical on sale to public

By Li Qian | November 10, 2014, Monday | Print Edition

ALMOST 100 tons of illegally made dried tofu sticks containing a cancer-causing chemical have reached the market, police in east China’s Shandong Province said yesterday.

The warning was issued after officers raided an underground workshop there and seized more than 10 tons of the toxic products.

Dried tofu sticks — fuzhu in Chinese — are very popular in hotpot and cold dishes in China.

But police of Zhangdian District in Zibo City found unscrupulous producers were illegally adding rongalite, an industrial bleaching agent, to make the fuzhu chewier and brighter, reported the Qilu Evening News.

Rongalite is banned in food production as the formaldehyde it releases in the process can cause headaches, fatigue, vomiting and cancer.

Just 10 grams of pure rongalite can kill a healthy adult, the paper reported.

It did not report the quantity found in the tainted fuzhu.

Zhangdian police had received a tip-off that a local grain and oil shop was selling toxic fuzhu.

Police bought samples from the shop and tests showed that they did indeed contain rongalite.

Last week, police and investigators from the local food and drug watchdog jointly busted the factory, the paper reported.

“Workers were busy making fuzhu with utensils that were covered in dirt,” said police official Zhang Qinchao.

“The factory floor was filthy and there was a choking odor in the premises,” added the official.

Stacked against an outside wall, the team found bags filled with powder that was identified as rongalite.

Police seized nearly 10 tons of toxic fuzhu and 190 kilograms of rongalite, the paper reported.

According to an initial police investigation, the factory was opened by three cousins, all surnamed Liao, from Xuchang City in central China’s Henan Province, in June.

To keep the business secret, they only recruited fellow villagers, it is claimed.

Since July, they had produced more than 100 tons. The products were mainly sold to Shandong, Henan and Jiangxi provinces, the paper reported.

In Zibo, they sold to a grain and oil shop owner surnamed Li, who supplied flour to the factory. Li said he sold more than 3,500 kilograms of fuzhu.

Police have detained four men and are trying to trace the tainted fuzhu on the market, it reported.

To date, no one has been reported ill after eating the affected fuzhu.

Nation


 

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