Chinese authorities reported about 100 tons of tofu sticks with cancer-causing ingredients have been put on sale.

The officials in Shandong Province said yesterday the dried tofu sticks were illegally manufactured. A public warning was issued after authorities seized more than 10 tons of harmful products in an underground production shop.

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Last week, food and drug regulators, investigators and police officials busted the illegal food manufacturer after receiving a tip that tainted tofu sticks were being produced.

Zibo City’s Zhangdian District police found out that producers were using bleaching agent rongalite to dried tofu sticks. The Qilu Evening News reported the industrial bleaching agent was supposed to make the tofu sticks look brighter and become chewier.

Rongalite along with formaldehyde is restricted to be used in food production. A person who has eaten food products containing these chemicals may experience fatigue, headaches and vomiting. These chemicals are also known to cause cancer leading to eventually death.

Qilu Evening News also reported consuming 10 grams of pure rongalite can get a healthy person killed. Meanwhile, the paper did not specify the amount of rongalite present in the dried tofu sticks sequestered during the raid.

The paper also reported police officials seizing 190 kilos of rongalite. Authorities took samples of the tainted dried tofu sticks to be examined for rongalite. Initial police report said the factory was operated by three cousins from Henan Province.

The cousins, all surnamed Liao, kept the factory operations in secret by hiring people who are only from the village.

Police officer Zhang Qinchao said the factor workers were busy making dried tofu sticks using soiled utensils. Zhang also said the floors of the food production shop were dirty and that a choking smell surrounds the place.

Dried tofu sticks are called fuzhu in China. This food is widely known in the country as a good combination with cold and hotpot dishes.

Tagstofu sticks, rongalite, formaldehyde, Qilu Evening News, Zhang Qinchao