China’s state-owned Grain Reserve Corp, commonly known as Sinograin, is facing public outrage and a government investigation after a state newspaper revealed it was shipping edible oil in unwashed tankers also used to transport fuel.
Sinograin is China’s largest grain storage and transportation company. Beijing News continue An inspection of tanker trucks belonging to Sinograin and a private company, Hopeful Grain and Oil Group, found that the trucks were transferring loads of fuel and cooking oil but were not being cleaned between trips.
Part of the fuel Involved The company behind these filthy shipping procedures is China Energy Investment Corporation, also a state-owned company. China Daily report The fuel contains large amounts of “coal liquids,” a toxic chemical produced during coal processing.
Truck Driver Said Beijing News It was an “open secret” among them that the tankers, which transported toxic liquids including industrial chemicals in addition to fuel, also transported food products such as cooking oil and syrup.
Chinese consumers have a long history of food and Pharmaceuticals Many politicians involved in the safety scandal were outraged by the reports, especially as they involved major brands and state-owned companies, and one of the biggest social media firestorms in recent years erupted on Saturday.
Sinograin tried We did a little damage control on Saturday. Beijing News The company will order a thorough internal investigation into the truck drivers who, like others, did not report and may have violated food safety regulations.
The company’s manipulation of the press was in vain. By Monday, Communist Party-controlled media were accusing company officials of complicity in the murder attempt and demanding a robust investigation by the central government.
State CCTV said Sinograin and Hopeful’s actions were “tantamount to poisoning” and that people were “bewildered and appalled” by the “extreme disregard for the lives and health of their customers” by major brands with government ties.
China’s powerful State Council, the de facto cabinet, quickly formed a “joint investigation group” of officials from multiple ministries, including the Food Safety Commission and the Public Security Bureau, to try to reassure the public.
“Violating enterprises and relevant responsible parties will be severely punished in accordance with the law,” the State Council promised.
China’s state-run Global Times I got it. Social media users reportedly discovered old footage from a news report dating back to 2005 that documented a dangerous accident in which cooking oil was being transported in the same tanker as chemicals.
of Global Times He whispered that if the huge Communist government acted quickly, the food safety problem would be “nipped in the bud,” but given that these dangerous practices have been going on for more than 20 years, the situation seems long past the point of being nipped in the bud.
All of the companies involved in the scandal have promised to conduct internal investigations, and Sinograin appears to have removed its edible oil products from some e-commerce platforms, although they remain on sale on others.
