Chinese Food Poisoning

Written by:
Amber Butler-Davis

Edited by: James M. Kelly
Pigs found to be contaminated with illegal additive.

The local health authorities reported that from February 20 -23 at least 70 have suffered food poisoning in the Guangdong province after consuming pig organs that were contaminated by a banned food additive.

Wang Guobin, an official with the Guangzhou municipal public health bureau explained how three people have had to remain in hospital for further observation while the remaining have been discharged after being treated.

All the victims were complaining of stomach aches and diarrhoea after eating pig organs that were brought into the local markets on Thursday. The authorities explained on Saturday that all of the victims of food poisoning were from the Tianhe and Zengcheng districts of Guangzhou, capital of Guangdong.

Wang told the China Daily in an interview that their initial investigation showed that the pig organs were contaminated with clenbuterol this is an additive that is actually banned in pig feed in China.

Investigators have now detained three people that are suspected to have involvement in the raising and selling of the contaminated pigs. Local authorities have successfully found that the contaminated pigs came from farms in several places in Hunan province.

Clenbuterol, also known as “shouroujing”, is an additive that prevents the pigs from accumulating fat. However, it is extremely harmful and can be fatal if humans consume it.

Clenbuterol residue often accumulates in organs such as the liver and lungs. One of the largest food poisoning cases involving clenbuterol happened in Shanghai in September 2006 when over 33o people were hospitalised after eating pig meat or their organs that were contaminated with the additive.