Allegations of adulteration in China’s edible oil
Last Updated on July 12, 2024 9:06 am
China has been accused of transporting edible oil in fuel oil tanker trucks without decontamination. The country’s netizens have started criticizing the government on China’s social media Weibo on this issue. The country’s government said it would launch an investigation into the allegations.
China’s state-run newspaper Beijing News reported that tankers used to transport fuel were seen transporting food products such as edible oil and syrup without being properly cleaned.
The newspaper also quoted a tanker driver as saying that transporting edible oil on tracks carrying contaminated fuel had become commonplace. So it was considered as an ‘open secret’. But recently the oil debate has become a top trending topic on Chinese social media.
After the start of the debate on edible oil, it is said that several big Chinese companies are also involved in the incident. For example, a subsidiary of state-owned Sinograin and Hopeful Grain and Oil Group.
Sinograin said it is investigating whether food safety regulations are being properly followed. Trucks that break the rules are immediately exempted.
But the Chinese government said the country’s food safety officials would investigate the allegations. All companies and individuals involved in wrongdoing will be punished. They assured the public that the results of the investigation would be made public immediately.
The country’s state TV CCTV said illegal persons involved in the incident will be punished strictly according to the law and such incidents will not be tolerated.
Weibo is a Chinese microblogging platform similar to the social media platform X (formerly Twitter). Tens of thousands of Weibo posts have been posted by users about the country’s ongoing oil scandal, which has been viewed by millions of people. Food safety is the most important thing – this comment has more than eight thousand likes.
A user said, living in this world as a common man is a wonderful thing. Many compared it to the Sanlu milk powder scandal of 2008.
Nearly three lakh children fell ill and at least six died after drinking tainted milk powder laced with high levels of the industrial chemical melamine. A Weibo user commented, this incident is worse than the Sanlu scandal. It cannot be settled by mere statements.
There is no specific list of products to be transported by tanker in China. That is, there is no rule that only certain one or two goods can be transported. In that case, there is no restriction on transporting food directly in that tanker immediately after the transportation of coal-based oil.
Source: BBC