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China is incredibly important in today’s modern world. Besides its remarkable traditions and distinctive features and excellent cuisine, it also manufactures a number of products that we need and use every day.
Until now its industry was under public scrutiny, but because of imperfect standards people began to avoid products imported from China. Certain disgustingly cheap Chinese products full of toxic substances were found on the market, and they were sold in the USA and around the world.
Foods from China
We’ll reveal 8 illegal Chinese foods you should avoid because they are full of dangerous toxins and are commonly shipped from the other side of the world.
1. Fake ginseng
The ginseng root is a popular medicinal plant that has been commonly used in China for more than three millennia. Its price rose quickly, so locals tried to find a way to profit as much as possible. They began to cook it in sugar to make the root heavier.
Wei Feng, a Chinese health expert from the National Institute for Food and Drug Control (NIFDC), says that the main problem is not only retailers who cheat their customers, but also the process by which nutritional values are removed from foods.
He found that natural ginseng contains 20% sugar and the fake one contains as much as 70%, which is very harmful to health.
2. Fake green peas
Reports claim that fake green peas were produced in Hunan province in 2005. This story published in local newspapers confirmed that these peas remained hard even after being cooked and the water had an unnatural green color.
Manufacturers prospered greatly from them, and investigations discovered that one of these illegal workshops that made these fake green peas for 3 years was subsequently closed.
The fake peas were made from peas, soybeans, with the addition of green dye and sodium metabisulfite (E223), which served as a preservative and bleaching agent. This dye is banned because of its carcinogenic properties and its ability to prevent calcium absorption in the body.
Sang Liwei, a food safety expert in Beijing, stated that this product had previously been used in the Chinese provinces of Hunan and Guangdong.
According to him, Chinese officials label foods as potentially dangerous only if at least one person dies because of them. Furthermore, potential adverse effects of such products, or the improper use of additives, are not indicated on the label, and they are still sold.
3. Imitation eggs
There are instructional videos on Chinese websites showing how Chinese people earn $70 a day from producing and selling fake eggs. They contain harmful ingredients, including gelatin, alginic acid (E400), calcium chloride, water, potassium aluminum sulfate (alum) and artificial coloring.
Their eggshells are made from calcium carbonate and consuming these eggs leads to memory loss and dementia.
4. Fake sweet potato noodles
Chinese authorities found that a facility located in the city of Zhongshan produced at least 5.5 tons of fake noodles. Many people complained about the strange taste of these sweet potato noodles.
Investigators found that these noodles contained corn with industrial ink that dyed them purple, and they also contained paraffin.
5. Plastic rice
Chinese authorities found fake rice being sold in the country. It is believed that this rice contained potatoes and synthetic resin! This rice remained hard even after cooking and caused the same adverse effects as fake peas. Its long-term consumption led to cancer.
Again it was confirmed that the main aim of the manufacturers was profit from fake food variants. This fake rice became popular and acquired the name „Wuchang“.
6. Industrial salt sold as table salt
Because of the adverse effects of its consumption, industrial salt is labeled as “unsuitable for human consumption”, but it is much cheaper. Over the past 13 years, 788 tons of this salt were certainly sold to at least 12 entities.
This harmful salt leads to mental and physical problems, including reproductive system disorders and hypothyroidism – increased function of the thyroid gland
7. Beef made from pork
Pork is much cheaper in China, so in restaurants it was sold as beef. It is chemically treated by adding beef extract and a masking glaze in which the meat is marinated for 90 minutes.
Experts advise people to avoid fake beef because its long-term consumption causes disfigurement, poisoning and even cancer.
8. Infant formula
CBS News reported that nearly 50 people were charged with producing fake instant infant formula that caused numerous child deaths in Fuyang province in 2004.
This infant formula contained only a few nutrients, and those were mostly made from chalk.
All the children who consumed it developed “big head disease”, which manifested as enlargement of the child’s head and a slow deterioration of the rest of the body.
