It seems not a day goes by without some kind of food scare, which many foreigners have cited as a primary reason to leave China.  Just this year, we’ve heard stories of gutter oil being re-used, bamboo shoots being washed in toilet water, and bad pork being sold in the PRD.  Now we learn this: some chicken wings being sold in Guangzhou might be fake — and dangerous.

The Yangcheng Evening News interviewed a Guangzhou citizen named Mr. Gu, who lives in Panyu District.  He told the paper he bought fake chicken wings at the Qinghe market in Panyu a couple of weeks ago.

According to the paper, Mr. Gu purchased a big bag of chicken wings for RMB20, which came from Weifang in Shandong Province. A few days later, Mr. Gu’s mother cooked the chicken wings for about 20 minutes but they found the colour hadn’t changed.  When Mr. Gu took a bite, he found them hard to chew.  He felt they had been cooked long enough, but they stir-fried them for another 10 minutes just to be sure.  Again, after taking a bite, he found they had a “gummy” texture and were hard to swallow.

Still, Mr. Gu and his family ate the wings, but felt sick the next day.  He then became suspicious about what he had eaten, so he called the manufacturer’s phone number listed on the bag of wings.  Unfortunately the person who answered the phone claimed to have no relationship with the manufacturer, and knew nothing.

The paper learned that several people have complained about the quality of the wings at Qinghe market.  One expert told the paper the wings Mr. Gu purchased are not “fake”, per se, but poor quality wings injected with water and gelatin to appear meatier.  Further, the man said these poor quality wings are common, and usually sold to fast food restaurants or market stalls.

The reporter from the paper went to the market undercover, and found several stalls selling the Weifang-produced wings.  Shop sellers said the wings are “very popular” and they have sold several bags of them.  The reporter also tried to call the manufacturer’s phone number, but the woman who answered said she was just a shop clerk and had nothing to do with the manufacturing company.

The good news in all of this? The paper went to several popular supermarkets in Guangzhou and couldn’t find any Weifang-produced wings on sale.  Still, best to use caution: be careful where you choose to eat, and carefully inspect chicken wings before buying them.