Chinese counterfeiters are going to new lengths in their hunt for riches - fake tofu.
According to mainland media, fake tofu, made with chemicals and cheap starch, is widespread on the mainland, having been found in the central provinces of Hunan and Hubei and the southern province of Hainan .
A tofu manufacturer based in Suzhou , Jiangsu, alerted the authorities that fake products had been passed off as its certified and registered tofu products in several cities in Hubei and Hunan since May, the Changjiang Times reported on Monday.
The authorities have closed at least two workshops in Wuhan, Hubei, arresting their owners and seizing large quantities of chemical material, including isolated soy protein, starch and colouring agents.
The counterfeiters said they mixed the chemicals with water, salt and monosodium glutamate before steaming the mixture, packaging it and giving it a brand name.
In March last year, fake tofu was found in Haikou , the capital of Hainan. It was made of starch, sodium carbonate and a little soybean.
The fake tofu made from starch is much cheaper than the natural product made from soy beans. Inflation has seen the price of soy beans rise to five yuan a kilogram, while fake tofu costs about two yuan a kilogram.