Rotten animal parts utilized in cooking oil
By Jessie Dong |
April 4, 2012, Wednesday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
CHINESE police have cracked a major underground network that produced cooking oil by using rotten animals' internal organs, fur and meat, and the product ended up on dining tables in several Chinese regions and cities, including Shanghai.
Police busted the ring's mills based in Jinhua, in Shanghai's neighboring Zhejiang Province, catching the suspects red-handed. The crackdown came after a five-month joint investigation by five provincial police departments.
The suspected leader and prime organizer of the production chain, identified as Li Weijiang, and about 100 others believed to be involved in the crime, have been arrested, police said.
Police said materials used to produce the oil include intestines and other internal organs, fur and meat leftovers from slaughtered livestock, such as sheep, cows and pigs. Investigators said the materials were rotten, causing the backyard mills in a suburban village to stink.
A total of 13 production sites were swept in the police action, and 3,200-plus tons of the "swill oil" was seized.
Police said their probe showed the ring had made more than 10 million yuan in profits from selling the oil, most of which was sold to grease-manufacturing companies in Anhui and Jiangsu provinces, as well as some in Chongqing and Shanghai.
Police said their investigation showed most of the oil was sold to oil manufacturers who used it to produce foods and soup bases for hotpot in Chinese restaurants.
Police said the individual mill operator usually sold the oil at 5,000 yuan per ton and Li, the business leader, resold it to other dealers at 7,600 yuan. The final price the grease manufacturer companies paid was about 12,500 yuan per ton - still much cheaper than market price for normal food oil.
Food experts said eating fried animal intestines might impose serious health hazards.
Police said the case exposed a new pattern of "swill oil" production. In previous crimes, the producers used leftover recycled oil from restaurant kitchens or gutters to refine new oil.
Police busted the ring's mills based in Jinhua, in Shanghai's neighboring Zhejiang Province, catching the suspects red-handed. The crackdown came after a five-month joint investigation by five provincial police departments.
The suspected leader and prime organizer of the production chain, identified as Li Weijiang, and about 100 others believed to be involved in the crime, have been arrested, police said.
Police said materials used to produce the oil include intestines and other internal organs, fur and meat leftovers from slaughtered livestock, such as sheep, cows and pigs. Investigators said the materials were rotten, causing the backyard mills in a suburban village to stink.
A total of 13 production sites were swept in the police action, and 3,200-plus tons of the "swill oil" was seized.
Police said their probe showed the ring had made more than 10 million yuan in profits from selling the oil, most of which was sold to grease-manufacturing companies in Anhui and Jiangsu provinces, as well as some in Chongqing and Shanghai.
Police said their investigation showed most of the oil was sold to oil manufacturers who used it to produce foods and soup bases for hotpot in Chinese restaurants.
Police said the individual mill operator usually sold the oil at 5,000 yuan per ton and Li, the business leader, resold it to other dealers at 7,600 yuan. The final price the grease manufacturer companies paid was about 12,500 yuan per ton - still much cheaper than market price for normal food oil.
Food experts said eating fried animal intestines might impose serious health hazards.
Police said the case exposed a new pattern of "swill oil" production. In previous crimes, the producers used leftover recycled oil from restaurant kitchens or gutters to refine new oil.
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