Safety hazards uncovered in meat processing factories
Duck intestine, a must-order dish for many hot pot lovers.
An undercover investigation at two meat processing factories in Shandong and Henan provinces uncovered numerous safety hazards in their duck and goose intestine products, according to a report in Monday's Beijing News.
In Qingfeng County, Henan, workers at Yongguan Food Co were found stepping on goose intestines with rubber boots to squeeze out feces and dyeing them with blood. The workshop manager admitted that regulatory authorities had repeatedly demanded rectifications.
At Yashare Meat Food Co in Binzhou, Shandong Province, duck intestines were casually placed on the floor after decontamination and oil scraping, mixing with dirty water.
Duck intestines were casually placed on the floor.
After a simple rinse, they were labeled as "ready-to-use" and sold across multiple provinces. Workers were also seen retrieving dead ducks from sewage channels contaminated with feathers and pollutants and returning them to the production line, with some workers urinating into the sewage channels.
A still image from an undercover video from Beijing News showing the poor condition of the meat being processed.
There were also several underage workers in the Yashare workshop. Both factories displayed dirty and chaotic working conditions.
Responding to report, a Yashare company representative claimed that the duck intestine workshop was outsourced and that the incidents occurred under a new contractor who had recently replaced the workers, leading to potentially lax standards.
The interior of Yashare's company office where it lists some of its business partners.
This report has sparked outrage online, with many comments such as: "This is a must-order dish for hot pot," "Please don't do this, these are essential for hot pot," and "It's so disgusting, I can't even look at it."
The booming market for waterfowl, including ducks and geese, is peaking. A 2023 industry report indicates that the industry's total output value reached 217.241 billion yuan in 2023, a 2.54 percent increase from 2022, with per capita duck meat consumption rising by 10.6 percent.
However, the industry still faces regulatory challenges. An official from Inner Mongolia Saifeiya Company, engaged in breeding, farming, and slaughtering ducks, said that despite the industry's shift towards standardization, it still struggles with fragmentation, lack of coordination, and low entry barriers.
Boxes of packed meat products from Yongguan Food Co ready to be shipped.
The Binzhou market watchdog said both city and county-level authorities are investigating and holding meetings to address food safety issues at the implicated factories.
The Qingfeng County Market Supervision Administration also confirmed they had just received notification and are conducting on-site investigations, with potential factory closures depending on the findings, according to China News Weekly,
