Street Vendor in China Sells 1.7 Billion Won Worth of Pork Labeled as "Beef"

Street Vendor Caught Selling Counterfeit Beef

In China, there have been incidents where pork was smeared with 'cow blood' and sold as beef.

According to Chinese media on the 13th (local time), some street vendors in Xiamen City, Fujian Province, were caught selling pork disguised as beef.

The beef they sold was reported to have an unusually pale bright red color and a sticky texture. The price was also much cheaper than other stores, leading to a flood of consumer reports suspecting foul play.

A street vendor selling pork disguised as beef was caught in Fujian Province, China.
[Photo by Chinese media Zhihu news screen capture]

Upon inspection by the Market Supervision and Administration Bureau, it was confirmed that the meat sold by the street vendors was not real beef but dried pork coated with 'cow blood.'

A total of three street vendors were caught, and their supply source was investigated to be a single location. This supplier had set up a factory somewhere in Xiamen City and established 11 sales points, employing a total of 18 workers who produced the fake beef and distributed it to the market.

The total amount of money made from the meat distributed using this method since last year is reported to exceed 10 million yuan (approximately 1.7763 billion KRW).

At the scene, more than 2,400 kg of fake beef, various tools including pig knives, and transport vehicles were seized. Meanwhile, Chinese authorities stated, "This case has been handed over to the Ministry of Public Security for further investigation and processing."

Despite the 'fake beef' controversy, Chinese netizens evaluated the case as "somewhat conscientious." Comments included, "At least it's pork, so that's somewhat fortunate," "The criminals showed some effort," and "It doesn't seem harmful, so it appears to be conscientious."

Previously, there have been incidents in China where duck meat was disguised as beef or pigs raised with harmful drugs were distributed as premium meat.

Also, in 2011, restaurants were caught spraying harmful chemical seasonings known as 'beef powder' on other meats to soften the texture and sell them as beef.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.