Only 48 per cent of the cooked meat at nine
supermarkets and stores in Guangzhou, China's southern Guangdong province,
passed a quality test earlier this year, the city's administration of industry
and commerce reported yesterday.
The 50
samples in the test, including roast duck, goose, pork and ribs, came from 12
producers.
None of
the 10 samples at the two stores in Yuexiu district passed the test.
Supermarkets
fared better than the stores in the test.
All
three producers from outside Guangzhou passed the test, with 44 per cent of
those from Guangzhou failing, which can be attributed to the fact that the
Guangzhou-made products were mostly unpacked with a shorter shelf life.
The 26
samples failing the test, all unpacked, were found to contain excessive
bacteria and artificial colouring agents, the administration said.
For
example, samples of roast chicken drumsticks and black pepper roast chicken
sold at a Trust-Mart supermarket in Baiyun district, produced in January, were
found to have excessive bacteria. Five products including roast pork, roast
duck and salted chicken produced by Guangzhou Zuijia Food Co in Baiyun district
were found to have excessive coliform bacteria.
The
excessive bacteria may have resulted from dirty production equipment, poor
material quality, production environment and staff hygiene, and inadequate
storage.
Seven
samples, including chicken and chicken feet products sold at Zhongxing shopping
mall in Panyu district, contained excessive tartrazine, and one sample
contained sunset yellow. The artificial colouring agents, which cost less than
the natural ones, were used to enhance the look of the products.
The
administration has pulled the substandard foods from the shelves. It has
advised consumers to buy cooked meat only from qualified producers, scrutinize
the colour of the foods and heat the cooked meat products before eating them.
The
problem arises from a lack of regulation in the production and storage process,
said Li Biansheng, secretary-general of Guangdong Institute of Food Science and
Technology.
Cooked
meat, when left unfrozen for some time, breeds bacteria. Some producers may not
have standards in place regarding artificial colouring agents, he said, urging
stricter supervision.
In
terms of bacteria, frozen or freshly cooked meat is much safer, he said.
Wang
Chong, a retiree in Guangzhou, said she seldom buys cooked meat, always being
suspicious of its quality.
The
government should thoroughly investigate such cases when they are exposed and
severely punish those responsible, she said.
Meanwhile,
many roast geese sold in cities like Guangzhou and Shenzhen, where they are a
local delicacy, are actually ducks to lower the cost, reported Guangzhou Daily
on March 19, citing experts.
Some
roast ducks are stuffed with meat on the top of their heads to make them look
like geese.
A visit
to 10 cooked meat stores at a few wet markets in Guangzhou uncovered that half
were selling roast ducks as roast geese.
Li
Wenfang
China
Daily
Zhang
Yiren contributed to the story.
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