“Bat wings from famous Chinese company Maratang… so shocking”

Capture from Geukmok Newspaper
In China, where controversies over food hygiene are constant, controversy has arisen this time after a foreign substance presumed to be the body of a bat was found in an instant noodles sold by a famous food company.

According to local media such as the Fengpai Newspaper on the 30th, Mr. Liu of Tianjin posted a related video on social media on the 27th, claiming, “A foreign object that appeared to be the body of a bat came out of the instant noodles I purchased at a supermarket near my house.” revealed.

The video showed a black foreign object that appeared to be a bat wing mat, which he claimed came from a marathon.

Mr. Ryu said, “I was heating the malatang and eating the soup and ingredients, but my child thought it was seaweed, so when he picked it up, it turned out to be the ridge of a bat’s wing. Both my child and I have suffered too much mental shock, so we can’t eat anything.”

He also appealed, “I don’t know if the virus can be transmitted through bats, and I’m anxious because I don’t know how long the virus incubates in the bat’s body,” and added, “If health problems arise later, who will be held responsible?”

In relation to this, the manufacturer, Yang Guofu Foods, said, “We are investigating the authenticity.”

Founded in 2003, this company sells malatang and malatang sauce through over 6,000 franchises in China and 21 overseas franchises.

Starting in 2021, packaged instant malatang will also be sold through supermarkets.

In China, food hygiene issues have recently been raised one after another, leading to growing consumer distrust in food.

A representative example is the appearance of a rat head in food in the cafeteria of a vocational school in Nanchang, Jiangxi Province, China, last June.

When suspicions were raised, the school and Nanqing city authorities initially explained that it was a ‘duck neck’, but as the controversy spread, they launched an investigation into the truth, admitted that it was a rat’s head, and punished those involved.

Last month, a video was released showing a man urinating in a storage area for malt, a raw material for beer, at Qingdao Plant 3 in Pingdu, Shandong Province, causing shock.

Tsingtao Beer explained that the person urinating was a worker from an outsourced company, and that the place of urination was not inside the factory, but in the loading bay of a malt transport vehicle. However, Tsingtao Beer suffered a blow as sales volume decreased and its stock price plummeted as consumers turned away from it.

Recently, a male worker at a butcher shop in Anhui Province posted a video on social media of removing the bone from raw lamb ribs with his mouth and boasted, “It’s a traditional technique, faster than using tools,” but was criticized by consumers for being disgusting. He faced backlash, including his life.

Netizens complained, “I am afraid to buy food sold outside because of the poor sanitary conditions throughout the food industry,” and added, “Special measures must be taken to eradicate adulterated food, such as strengthening crackdowns and punishments.”