The pig tooth found in A Ming’s lunch take-out (right)

In addition to the long list of hair, bugs, flies and even condoms found in meals while splurging on street food, a pig tooth is the latest free addition that came with a cheap lunch take-out.

A woman in Guangzhou found the chomper in her lunch from a local restaurant, reported Guangzhou Daily on August 14.

The woman, named Ah Ming, ordered take-out for pork ribs and egg-wrapped rice from a nearby diner in Zhujiang New City. After just a few bites, Ah Ming felt a twinge in her mouth, and spitted out a suspicious “hard material” only to find it was an intact gross-looking tooth.

Several of Ah Ming’s lunch pals vomited at the sight of this 1cm-long tooth that they suspected to be human. Ah Ming sent the tooth to a nearby dental clinic and found that it was a in fact a pig’s tooth.

The owner of the diner explained that the tooth might have accidently dropped into the dish while chopping the meat. Nonetheless, they refunded Ah Ming’s cost for lunch.

Photos: Guangzhou Daily

The US Department of Agriculture has said pork imports from six US processing plants and six cold storage facilities are barred from China due to a ban on a specific feed additive, reports Reuters.

China has requested all US pork imports to be inspected and verified by a third party to ensure they are free of ractopamine. Known by the retail name Paylean, the additive is used on hog farms to promote lean muscle growth.

As a result of the new restrictions, US pork packing plants that are no longer allowed to export to China include Tyson Foods, Quality Pork Processors, and Hormel Foods.

This is not the first time US pork has come under the microscope in China. In April of this year, China introduced tougher restrictions on US imports of live pigs due to swine flu concerns. China had asked the USDA to certify live pigs used for imports are free of porcine epidemic diarrhea virus, a disease that began spreading last spring affecting almost 30 states with millions of young pig deaths.

Meanwhile, imports of grain and cereals into China are up 80% from the year before, with a total 11.34 million metric tons during the first seven months of this year.

As reported by China Daily, the increase is to ensure sufficient domestic stocks, prevent unexpected supply risks and ensure long-term food security.

Photo: Fox News

One of the men accused of selling the pork admitted that it came from sick pigs but denied that it was harmful. “I ate the pork and so did some others, and none of us got sick,” said Cheng. Cheng and his associates rented three slaughterhouses and two processing factories before going into production in Oct. 2011.

Cheng and his team oversaw the whole process: purchasing ill or dead pigs, then slaughtering and processing them before selling them to a market in a mountainous area of Dongguan called Daling.

An examination by Guangdong Animal Epidemic Prevention Center, confirmed that the pork had foot and mouth disease (FMDV). The slaughterhouse has been shut down and the remaining pork has been disposed of.

Chen had recently turned down an offer for the pigs which she considered to be too low. “I don’t know how I will eat in the coming days,” said a tearful Chen.

According to her employer, Chen had bought the pigs with borrowed money, and every day would get up before dawn to feed and water them.

One Weibo user said that pigs are the most tragic of all animals. Another exclaimed, “when will 2012 stop seeing natural disasters?”
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