Health authorities discovered that 35 restaurants across China were seasoning their food with illegal opium poppies. Among of the restaurants were caught were the Shanghai dumpling joints and the popular Beijing chain that specialises crayfish and bullfrog. Hence, many customers are furious as they believed that they may have ingested the dangerous substance.
The Food and Drug Administration confirmed on Friday, Jan. 15 that they are still investigating the 30 eateries. While legal proceedings were brought against the 5 establishments.
Since the news broke out, angry customers then took the "poisoning issue" to the national consumer website, dianping.com to express their anger and disappointment according to the report of The Telegraph. While others want to know how much "poison" they have already consumed, others sarcastically brought up the matter, "I finally know the reason for the long queues outside this restaurant," one customer wrote.
This is not the first time authorities busted restaurants who are using illegal substances as seasoning. In 2014, a noodle seller was caught guilty after failing a drug test. In 2012, seven establishments were closed in the province of Ningxia for using opium poppies. Likewise in 2004 in Guizhou, where 215 restaurants were forced to shut down for similar offences.
Luo Yunbo, a professor of food safety and nutrition at China Agricultural University said to the China Daily that opium causes addiction and it can eventually lead to serious harm.
Investigators are now urging local authorities to find the suppliers of the poppies. They are also encouraging officials to punish those people involved.
Despite government's promises to solve food safety problems and improve their enforcement within China, consumers still perennially face different food scares, including fake meat and contaminated milk.
In 2014, the sales of food chains also plummeted after news broke out that a Shanghai-based supplier was selling expired chicken meat to big fast-food chains, including MacDonald's and KFC.
