Plant manager arrested for using swill, garbage to produce lard

[one...two...tree 2,762]

Associated Press

BEIJING - A factory manager in east China has been arrested for using grease from swill, sewage, pesticides and recycled industrial oil to make lard for human consumption, state media said Monday in the country's latest food scare.

Ying Fuming, a manager at the Fanchang Grease Factory in Taizhou, a city in Zhejiang province, sold the lard at half the price of other wholesalers while promising that his product met safety standards, the Shanghai Daily said.

The factory was shut down and local health and food authorities began an investigation this year after an anonymous tip indicated that the plant "recycled large amounts of used grease to process substandard lard," the newspaper said.

It is the latest incident involving substandard or fake food products in China, where there is rampant counterfeiting of food and medicines.

China's food safety watchdog announced last month that seven companies that produced salted, red-yolk duck eggs used potentially cancer-causing red dyes.

In 2004, at least 12 infants died from malnutrition after drinking phony formula in a city in the eastern province of Anhui. More than 200 babies suffered wasted limbs and swollen heads - common symptoms of malnutrition.

The Taizhou factory, which opened in September 2005, was ordered shut down but continued operating at night, the Shanghai Daily said. It sold its product to retailers across the country, who sold it to clients, including hotels and restaurants, it said.

In a recent night raid, officers found 83,000 pounds of raw materials and 11,600 pounds of lard, the newspaper said without providing any more details.

"Some was recycled edible grease, such as oil refined from swill and cooked oil," it said. "Some was grease rendered from sewage, and some was recycled industrial grease."

By law, only pure fat from hogs can be used to produce edible lard, the newspaper said.

Samples from the Fanchang factory showed an acid value more than 11 times higher than the national limit, it said.

[almaty 19]

damn, that is terrible and grosss

[Alanlvsjudy 0]

They should require him to consume it himself....

[Hilarious Clinton 452]

China 2006 = USA 1950

[almaty 19]

China 2006 = USA 1950

i agree or maybe 1930....food standards

[keltic 1]

dang... im glad i dont consume those buckets of lard like i used to!!!!!!!

[one...two...tree 2,762]

dang... im glad i dont consume those buckets of lard like i used to!!!!!!!

I remember not too long ago when you could look at the ingredients on the packages of things like cookies (fig newtons, oreos) and you'd see lard. mmmm...then they replaced it with partially hydrogenated vegetable oil...not much better.

[keltic 1]

i can actually remember my grandparents having a plastic tub of it in their fridge... like the tubs of spreadable margarine... they were white with red lettering

[rclouse 0]

Maybe not so much.

[Trompe le Monde 1,107]

Lard is the secret ingredient to a lot of things, according to the Two Fat Ladies

[Alex+R 0]

[Saddle Bronc 124]

But isn't swill-and-rubbish the standard diet for a pig?

[one...two...tree 2,762]

But isn't swill-and-rubbish the standard diet for a pig?

Just cutting out the middle-man?

[Saddle Bronc 124]

But isn't swill-and-rubbish the standard diet for a pig?

Just cutting out the middle-man?

Oh, I see: the manager was charged because it DIDN't get filtered/converted through pigs.

[one...two...tree 2,762]

But isn't swill-and-rubbish the standard diet for a pig?

Just cutting out the middle-man?

Oh, I see: the manager was charged because it DIDN't get filtered/converted through pigs.

Well, it doesn't quite work that way with bee honey either.