"Avoid Sausages and Dumplings If You Can" ... Chinese Company's Bizarre Warning Over Ground "Chicken Necks and Bones"

Supplied as a Food Ingredient at 30 Tons a Day
Inadequate Ingredient Labeling at Workshops With Wastewater on the Floors

It has emerged that meat paste made by grinding chicken necks and frames is being supplied in large quantities in China as an ingredient for various processed foods, including sausages, dumplings and meatballs. Some production facilities were also found to have unsanitary conditions, such as wastewater flowing across workshop floors and ingredients being improperly stored, sparking controversy.

A dough made by a Chinese food company from meat separated from chicken neck bones. The ingredient is reportedly used in sausages and dumplings. Shenzhen News.

At Least 30 Tons of Paste Made From Chicken Necks Produced Daily

According to Chinese media outlets on October 28, Shandian News, part of Shandong Broadcasting, recently conducted undercover reporting at food companies in Luohe, Anyang and Hebi, among other areas in Henan Province. The companies visited by reporters used machines to press chicken necks and frames to separate the meat from the bones, then ground the material into a paste to make a food ingredient.

The ingredient was found to be supplied to other meat-processing companies for use in various processed foods, including sausages, meatballs and dumplings. One company in Luohe, Henan Province, said it could produce at least 30 tons of paste made from chicken necks per day. The selling price was about 3,800 yuan (approximately 760,000 won) per ton.

Wastewater on Floors and Ingredients Left Unattended Raise Hygiene Concerns

Concerns centered on the manufacturing conditions and quality-control practices at some companies. At one food company in Qixian County, Hebi, reporters saw wastewater flowing across the workshop floor and ingredients, including chicken necks and frames, piled up without being properly organized.

Questions were also raised about production licenses. When reporters checked the food production permit information search system run by China’s State Administration for Market Regulation, they could not find permit information for some companies.

Sausages hanging. Unrelated to the article. Pexels

Company representatives reportedly acknowledged that they had not obtained production permits or explained that they had been told separate permits were not required.

Even Company Official Says, "Eat Less Stuffed Foods"

A remark by the head of one production company during the investigation also fueled controversy. He reportedly told the reporters that people should "eat less stuffed foods, such as dumplings." In effect, the company representative himself advised people to cut back on foods that could contain ingredients produced by his company.

The report also noted that a regulatory blind spot may have emerged because responsibility for overseeing some companies was unclear between market supervision departments and departments responsible for agriculture and rural affairs.

The way ingredients were listed on finished products also came under scrutiny. Some products examined by reporters listed the ingredient simply as "chicken." This has prompted concerns that consumers may find it difficult to determine whether the products contain ordinary lean meat or meat paste made by grinding chicken necks or frames after separating them from the bones.

However, this type of meat paste is not necessarily an illegal ingredient in all cases. China has a recommended national standard for mechanically separated meat, and whether it can be used as a food ingredient must be assessed based on the applicable standards, hygiene conditions, and production and labeling requirements.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.