New | Three Chinese companies prosecuted for producing beef jerky... containing no beef

Three companies have been prosecuted for producing “beef jerky” that does not contain any beef.

Prosecutors in Wenzhou’s Ruian court pressed charges against Ruian Lianxi Food, Ruian Chengjia Food and Guangzhou Siwei Food and their owners for using pork and food additives in their beef products and selling them across the country, state media CCTV reported.

The case came to light on Monday when Guangzhou inspectors found little protein content and almost no meat in the beef jerky produced under the brand name Yisi, which has been on the market for more than 20 years.

Police investigations found that the accused allegedly soaked pork in water to enlarge its fibre to resemble beef fibre and added various additives to the meat, including beef extract to make it taste like beef.

Experts have warned that consuming too much food additives over time is unhealthy and may cause cancer, Xian-based City Express newspaper reported.

Police seized 30 tonnes of the fake beef jerky and a large amount of food additives from the three companies.