Super Steak in Coco Park, picture courtesy of Google Images

The Shenzhen Food Safety Supervision Administration has fined Western restaurant Super Steak 1.2 million RMB for selling unqualified beef, China News reports.

A month ago, authorities seized 441kg of the company’s beef for testing. Some was found to contain clenbuterol, a drug with dangerous side effects such as high blood pressure and nervousness. It is not permitted for use in China, the United States or the E.U on food producing animals.

In the aftermath of the testing done on the Super Steak beef, authorities investigated 74 batches of beef and pork from 31 restaurants in the city. Only one was found to be unqualified. The unqualified batch was of pork at the Made in Kitchen restaurant in Luohu District and the case is being investigated.

Of course, this is just the latest of many food safety scandals to hit the Pearl River Delta in recent years.

However, it’s not all bad news. UNESCO reported last month that the capacity of journalists and members of the public to report on food safety issues is improving in China.