Multiple instances of diners discovering human teeth in food have reignited food safety concerns in China.
On October 13, a woman reported finding a row of three artificial human teeth in a sausage she bought for her child in northeastern China’s Jilin province. She bought the grilled sausage from an outdoor stall. Initially, the vendor denied that the teeth were present when the sausage was sold but later apologised after local market supervision authorities became involved.
On the same day, another woman reported that her father found two human teeth in dim sum at a branch of Sanjin Soup Dumplings, a renowned local dim sum chain in Dongguan City, southern Guangdong province. She confirmed that the teeth did not belong to her father.
The restaurant stated that all its dumplings are supplied directly by the company’s headquarters and could not clarify the origin of the teeth. An investigation into this case is ongoing.
On October 14, a customer discovered an artificial human tooth embedded in a jujube and walnut cake she bought at a Shanghai branch of Sam’s Club. She recognised it as artificial due to the visible metal screw.
Sam’s Club, a membership-only warehouse retail store with over 50 branches in more than 20 cities across China, is often associated with high-quality and safe food products. The cake is priced at 27.8 yuan (US$4) for a 520-gram box.
A staff member at the branch expressed shock over the incident, insisting that the food produced at the factory “should not have such problems.”
The customer returned the next day to assert her rights and stated that the store offered her 1,000 yuan (US$140) in compensation for the defective cake. They requested she sign a receipt for the compensation but denied her request to photograph it.
Under China’s Food Safety Law, companies that produce or sell food not meeting safety standards must compensate consumers 10 times the food’s price or three times the consumer’s losses due to the issue. If the compensation amount is lower than 1,000 yuan, that sum is the minimum.
The woman chose to decline the compensation, citing “their attitude was wrong.”
The market supervision department of Shanghai Pudong New District has reportedly launched an investigation into the matter.
This is not the first occurrence of an artificial tooth found in products sold at Sam’s Club. In 2022, a woman reported that her uncle discovered three teeth in Sam’s Club’s signature Swiss roll, bought from the brand’s store in Xiamen, located in southeastern Fujian province.
Previous incidents have typically concluded with customers reaching compromises with food sellers, without any published investigation results from authorities.
Each time similar cases arise, speculation runs wild, with some wondering if human meat has been inadvertently mixed into the food.
“I hope it is not the horror story of mixing human meat into the ingredients,” one user commented on social media.
Others speculated that factory workers might have accidentally lost their artificial teeth during food production.
“I am really worried about food safety here,” another user expressed.
Yet another user remarked: “I cannot fathom why there are so many such cases, as factories normally use X-ray machines to inspect their food to prevent incidents like these.” -- SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST
