June 25, 2015
China uncovers US$483 million worth of smuggled meat
In its latest crackdown on food products smuggled into the country, China has struck 21 criminal groups in 14 provinces, along with the confiscation of more 100,000 tonnes of illegal meat including chicken wings, beef and pork, Xinhua reported.
In addition, a news website discovered that illicit beef trafficking was carried out between India and Guangxi via Haiphong and Mong Cai in Vietnam. The meats would eventually found their way into Chinese hotpot restaurants.
Significant volumes of illegal beef from Brazil also sneaked through Hong Kong into the Mainland, sources said.
Recent seizures had amounted to about US$483.2 million in value but what''s perhaps more shocking were meats found in egregious states and allegedly more than 40 years old.
According to an official, illegal meats are often transported in vehicles without proper refrigeration capabilities and, thus, repeatedly thawed before reaching customers.
Food smuggling is yet another bane to China''s efforts to improve food safety in the wake of scandals including the infamous melamine milk-poisoning in 2008. In the period from 2012 to 2013, up to two million tonnes of illegal beef were delivered, Professor Cao Binghai, from the Chinese Agricultural University, said.
In May, at least 8,130 tonnes of beef from India were found to be smuggled and sold to local hotpot restaurants between June and July of last year.
An industry source claimed that beefs that arrived in Vietnam were considered as "re-exported" meat and, hence, charged under a minimum rate below that of the Chinese import tax.