Shanghai FDA blacklists 5 over food safety scandals

Five people were blacklisted from the food and beverage industry for five years for either using swill oil or selling blood clams, the Shanghai Food and Drug Administration said on Wednesday.

Jing'an District's food and drug administration received a tip last August that Shanghai Yanyu Restaurant Management Co on Nanjing Road W. was serving food that was cooked with swill oil. The FDA's investigation confirmed the tip was accurate.

Xu Zhiguo, Xu Zaihua and Wu Chaohong, cooks at the restaurant, were responsible for using swill oil to prepare dishes, according to the FDA.

The company's business license was revoked and it was fined 1 million yuan (US$160,975).

On December 16, Xu Zhiguo was sentenced to two years in prison. Xu Zaihua and Wu were each handed one-year sentences the same day for producing or selling poisonous and harmful food.

Xu Zhiguo had previously been added to the blacklist. Both Xu Zaihua and Wu were added to the list for the first time.

In another case, Yangpu District?s FDA received complaints last August that a group of 11 people had food poisoning symptoms like diarrhea and stomachache after having dinner at Changjiao Seafood Restaurant on Pingliang Road.

The FDA's investigation found the restaurant was unlicensed and owned by Zhou Shinian, who along with Zhou Shilai purchased banned blood clams from Li Peng. Blood clams can absorb harmful bacteria and viruses like hepatitis, dysentery or typhoid from seawater. They are banned in China after they were found to cause a hepatitis outbreak.

Zhou Shinian's restaurant also served drunken shrimp, a dish banned annually between May 1 and October 31 due to health risks. Chefs make it by soaking fresh shrimp in rice wine for several hours.

On January 3, Yangpu District People's Court sentenced Zhou Shinian to two years in prison and fined him 20,000 yuan. Zhou Shilai was sentenced to one year in prison and fined 10,000 yuan for producing or selling poisonous and harmful food, while Li Peng was sentenced to two years in prison and fined 20,000 yuan for selling food failing to meet safety standards. All three have been added to the Shanghai Food and Drug Administration's blacklist.