BRINED duck necks, a kind of deli meat that originated in Wuhan, the capital city of Hubei Province, has become popular among residents all around China in recent years and the stores of Zhouheiya, the most famous brand based in Wuhan, can be found everywhere in Shenzhen.

    However, a recent undercover investigation conducted by a program on Guangdong Television disclosed that some underground workshops selling toxic brined duck necks and offal were found in many places in Shenzhen.

    Some of the food had been brined with rotten meat and a large quantity of additives and strong-flavored condiments that could possibly be toxic.

    The fake Zhouheiya stores were found hiding in some urban villages with similar advertising billboards to the real Zhouheiya logo. Some counterfeit stores charge expensive fees for others to join the franchise and offer training to staff.

    In fact, the real Zhouheiya company does not offer opportunities for others to join the business. It only has direct-sale stores in Shenzhen and each box of brined duck necks costs more than 30 yuan (US$4.35).

    Employees from the real Zhouheiya stores said that many of the so-called franchise stores were actually fakers that sold relatively low-priced deli snacks with bad-quality meat and poor hygiene.

    To find out how these illegal workshops were involved in the filthy business, reporters from the program secretly investigated a workshop situated in an industrial zone in Dalang Subdistrict in Longhua District according to residents’ tips.

    According to the report, there were over 10 abandoned counters placed in front of the workshop. The logos printed on the counters were very similar to the real Zhouheiya, which was misleading to most consumers. Four refrigerators used to store a large amount of duck offal were placed in a garage. Most of the internal organs were frosted and stinky, according to the report.

    At around 8 a.m., the workers at the workshop started to load the ready-to-sell deli snacks for delivery to various distribution points. Through camera footage, it can be seen that the hygienic conditions of the workshop were worrisome.

    The investigation found that the stinky meat was made into “delicious snacks” after the staff put a lot of additives, seasonings and preservatives onto the meat. The workshop even used industrial salt instead of cooking salt to lower its costs. Industrial salt can be dangerous and poisonous to consumers’ health.

    From the records, the workshop supplied as many as 44 clients from every district and new area of Shenzhen. Most of the clients were staff from street vendors and restaurants as well as KTV clubs. The owner of the shop admitted that the profits were very promising.

    The market supervision department later stepped in to investigate and found that the workshop’s hygienic conditions were far below requirements.

    The owner of the workshop was taken away by police for further investigation.

    (Zhang Qian)