Police in China are investigating after the discovery of a batch of “fake” pigs’ ears reportedly made from gelatin, state media said yesterday, in yet another food safety problem to hit the country.
The bogus ears were discovered in a market in Ganzhou city, Jiangxi Province in late March after a customer complained of a strange smell when cooking them, the state-run China Daily reported.
Food safety officials tested the “ears” and found they had been made from gelatin and the chemical sodium oleate, commonly used in the production of soap.
Photographs circulating online showed local officials examining a box of the fake ears, which appeared light brown in color with a plastic-like texture.
The China Daily quoted an expert as giving a sure-fire method for telling real ears from fake, saying the genuine article should have hair and small blood vessels.