From China Digital Space

地沟油 (dìgōu yóu): ditch oil

Ditch oil, or “gutter oil,” is cooking oil that is “refined” from the leftover food that people and restaurants throw away. The leftovers are usually used to feed pigs, but some unscrupulous people will gather the slop and “recycle” it by selling it as low-cost cooking oil. Refining ditch oil is illegal because of its negative health effects; it is carcinogenic and contains hazardous chemicals.

Ditch first became a topic of major concern in 2010, when authorities revealed that up to one-tenth of cooking oil used in China might actually be ditch oil. Ongoing investigations have shown that the ditch oil is widely used. Ditch oil is now a symbol of China’s ongoing food safety issues. A 2012 study by the Pew Research Center found that 41% of Chinese considered food safety a very big problem for the country, up from just 12% in 2008.

Contents 1 Why it’s Still So Hard to Find Safe Baby Formula 2 Environmental Concerns Over China-CA Dairy Ties 3 Eating Safely in China, on a Budget 4 Food Scares Put Mao’s Self-sufficiency Goal at Risk 5 ‘Gutter Oil’ Expected to Fuel Shanghai Buses

Why it’s Still So Hard to Find Safe Baby Formula

14 June 2013, by josh rudolph

Environmental Concerns Over China-CA Dairy Ties

13 June 2013, by josh rudolph

Eating Safely in China, on a Budget

6 June 2013, by josh rudolph

Food Scares Put Mao’s Self-sufficiency Goal at Risk

27 May 2013, by Sophie Beach

‘Gutter Oil’ Expected to Fuel Shanghai Buses

26 May 2013, by josh rudolph