Duck meat passed off as beef, mutton in China’s latest food fraud

Five food services contractors were found to have been passing off much cheaper duck meat as beef and mutton in their dishes since March. - PHOTO: PIXABAY via The Straits Times/ANN

HOHHOT, Inner Mongolia (China Daily/ANN): A slew of scandals, involving the fraudulent substitution of beef and mutton with cheaper cuts of duck meat, has put the spotlight on the scam, with fears the illegal practice could be happening on a wider scale across the food industry.

Authorities in Hohhot, capital of the Inner Mongolia autonomous region, recently levied a collective fine of 270,000 yuan (S$51,000) on five food services contractors operating in a local college cafeteria, after analysis of food samples showed they had been passing off much cheaper duck meat as beef and mutton in their dishes since March.