Consumers distrust food sellers because of incidents of food poisoning. (Photo : Getty Images)
Police from Yingkou, Liaoning Province, raided seven food processing factories and shut them down for using poisonous industrial gelatin in their food products.
The 10 suspects were arrested in seven different areas in Yingkou.
According to the report of the China Food News, the police recovered 6 tons of food products and 3.6 tons of industrial gelatin and sodium nitrate. All substances are known to be hazardous to consumers' health.
The police found out that a criminal group based in Tonghua, Jilin Province, was supplying industrial gelatin to many factories. Since 2012, the group has bought more than 10,000 tons of toxic gelatin.
These criminals would repack and mark it as if it is a material with food grade.
Many manufacturers use gelatin to cut costs in making sausages and noodles. The Chinese government banned the use of industrial gelatin in food products in May 2009 because it was found to have metal elements and harmful when consumed.
There are huge profits reaped from cutting ingredients in food and substituting them with cheaper materials. A police officer from Yingkou said that this is why it is hard to stop criminals from doing these schemes.
According to Lu Haishan, a lawyer from the Huajun Law Firm, the Criminal Law Amendment only increased fines for offenders of food safety laws and prison terms remain the same.
He also noted that the government's food and drug administration is short-staffed.
Many incidents of tainted food have been reported in the past. Based on an article by Lin Fu, visiting fellow of John L. Thornton Center, Chinese consumers are wary and sensitive over food safety issues in the country.
"Fewer instances of food safety violations and greater supply-chain transparency and product traceability would go a long way toward restoring consumer confidence in the food supply, as well as their trust in producers and regulators," he wrote.
