Chinese firm serves up ‘smart chopsticks’ for wary diners

Smart device: A Baidu official introducing the 'smart chopsticks' at the Baidu World conference in Beijing. - AFP

BEIJING: From recycled cooking oil to fox meat and chemicals, a litany of food scandals have turned Chinese diners’ stomachs, but a new “smart chopsticks” concept by Internet search giant Baidu could put the answer in their hands.

The device, which the firm says can tell consumers whether the food in front of them is safe to eat, was born of an April Fool’s video, a spokesman said yesterday.