[VIDEO] You Will Lose Your Appetite Not Long After Watching This Oily China Video
The Washington Post recently highlighted the "illegal and utterly disgusting problem of gutter oil" in China. Now, wouldn't you like to know where it comes from?
By Judith Yeoh — 31 Oct 2013, 04:19 PM — Updated almost 11 years ago
Washington Post Recently Highlighted "The Illegal And Utterly Disgusting Problem Of Gutter Oil" In China
China's food safety problems have no better symbol than the illegal and utterly disgusting problem of gutter oil. Cooking oil is used heavily in Chinese food, so some street vendors and hole-in-the-wall restaurants buy cheap, black market oil that's been recycled from garbage.
washingtonpost.com"Gutter Oil," "Black Market Oil," - Call It Whatever You Want, This Oil Is Sourced From...
Enterprising men and women will go through dumpsters, trash bins, gutters and even sewers, scooping out liquid or solid refuse that contains used oil or animal parts. Then they process that into cooking oil, which they sell at below-market rates to food vendors who use it to cook food that can make you extremely sick.
businessinsider.com
The Waste Is Then Processed With Animal Fat, Then Sold As Cooking Oil And Fed To You
Gutter Oil refers to a process of pulling waste oil from sewers, grease traps, waste from slaughterhouses, reprocessing it and then selling it as cooking oil.
businessinsider.com
There Are Serious Health Concerns Associated With Gutter Oil, It Can Contribute To The Risk Of Liver Cancer
Aside from the ick factor, there are serious health concerns associated with gutter oil. It can be contaminated with the fungus aflatoxin, which can contribute to the risk of liver cancer.
time.com
Gutter oil is filled with carcinogens and can cause severe abdominal pain and diarrhoea to anyone who eats food prepared with gutter oil.
theatlanticcities.com
A man reaching into a man hole in China. Photo from CuriousGeoff via Flickr.
Image via businessinsider.comThis Process Is Illegal And Is Something Chinese Authorities Are Trying To Stop
The processing and selling of gutter oil is thought to be widespread. Being reprocessed garbage and sewage, gutter oil contains all sorts of untold carcinogens. Many of the operations, like the one shown in the video, are small-time. But there's enough money to be made that some producers go much bigger.
washingtonpost.com
Police inspect illegal cooking oil seized during a crackdown in Beijing on August 2, 2010 (Photo: AFP / Getty Images).
Image via wordpress.comIn April 2013, Chinese Authorities Uncovered A Gutter Oil Production Ring Of 3,200 Tons "The Stuff"
In April, Chinese authorities uncovered a gutter oil production ring that spanned 13 cities and over 100 people, who somehow acquired rotten animal parts and boiled down the fat into oil.
businessinsider.com
The sting, which came after a five-month investigation, yielded 3,200 tons of the stuff; authorities estimated the black-market producers had already sold a stunning $1.6 million worth of their product.
theatlanticcities.comThe Gutter Oil Phenomenon Is Not New; In 2011, A Journalist Reporting On The Gutter Oil Scandal Was Stabbed More Than 10 Times
A Chinese journalist reporting on a scandal surrounding illegal cooking oil was found stabbed to death in September 2011.
Li Xiang, a 30-year-old reporter for Luoyang TV, was stabbed 10 times outside the gate of his community as he returned home from a night out with friends at a karaoke bar. (File Photo)
Image via whatsonxiamen.comLi Xiang, 30, a reporter with Luoyang Television Station in the central province of Henan, was knifed more than 10 times early Monday as he returned home from a karaoke session with friends, the Zhengzhou Evening News reported.
