Police have detained 32 people for reprocessing and selling tonnes of used cooking oil, the Ministry of Public Security said yesterday, in the latest food scandal to hit the mainland.
More than 100 tonnes of the 'gutter oil', taken from restaurant kitchen waste, was seized in raids that foiled a criminal network operating in 14 provinces, including Zhejiang, Henan, Shandong and Jiangsu, the ministry said on its website.
Two production lines and six underground factories were found to be reprocessing and selling the oil.
The ministry statement said tests indicated that the confiscated oil contained several kinds of toxins, some of which could cause cancer.
'Not only did we destroy a criminal chain that was illegally turning gutter oil into food oil, we also unveiled the greed of the criminals and pulled back the curtain on the immoral acts of those producing this poisonous and harmful food oil,' it said.
The bust added to an already long list of food scandals, including eggs coloured with industrial dye, pigs fed with chemicals to make them leaner, and expired steamed buns dyed with industrial colouring.