China food scandal: Decades-old Rotting Meat

Decades-old rotting meat worth $500 million seized in China food scandal.

Over half a billion dollars worth of smuggled frozen meat — some of it thawed, rotting and more than 40 years old — has been seized in China, according to local reports.

"It was smelly, and I nearly threw up when I opened the door," said an official from the central Hunan province, where 800 tonnes were seized.

More than 100,000 tonnes of chicken wings, beef and pork worth up to $624 million were seized in the nationwide crackdown, the state-run China Daily newspaper said.

Poor food safety is a major concern in China, where standards are lax and scandals involving tainted products are common.

Yang Bo, the deputy director of the anti-smuggling bureau in the Hunanese capital Changsha, said smugglers would often transport the goods in ordinary vehicles, rather than refrigerated ones, to save costs.

"So the meat has often thawed out several times before reaching customers.

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