Why Is Imported Frozen Meat So Cheap? The New Smuggling Tricks of Frozen Pork and the Crime of Transport
As long as you are ruthless enough, even a landfill can turn into a "gold mine." In the past, frozen meat smuggled in from Vietnam was frequently seized, and each time after the crackdown, the authorities would bury the frozen meat in the Sam Ka Tsuen landfill. This frozen meat that was regularly "delivered to the door" became a treasure in the eyes of the villagers.
After the incident came to light, the authorities set up a special task force to investigate, and seven suspects have so far been arrested on suspicion of producing and selling food that does not meet safety standards. The authorities will also consider buying shredders to first shred the seized items before burying them, to prevent citizens from "digging them up" again.
And now a new smuggling trick has emerged. At the end of 2018, Shenzhen Wenjindu Customs seized 25 tons of smuggled frozen chicken feet in an inbound truck, the 11th frozen goods smuggling case seized by that customs office in 2018. Data from the General Administration of Customs show that in the first 5 months of 2018 alone, customs opened investigations into 104 frozen goods smuggling cases, verifying a total of 23,000 tons of smuggled frozen goods.
Illegally smuggled frozen meat may also be meat with substandard relevant indicators, expired meat that has been stored for many years, or treated meat with added chemicals for preservation and anti-spoilage. If it is diseased meat from areas affected by avian influenza or mad cow disease, it may even lead to outbreaks of disease.
Where does smuggled frozen meat flow? A reporter's investigation found that after smuggled frozen meat enters the country, it reaches the market through a combination of online and offline channels and ends up on consumers' dining tables.
After joining several QQ groups related to frozen meat, it was found that most merchants sell two types of imported frozen meat: one type has complete import documents and is priced higher; the other type sells various imported frozen meats such as beef, mutton and chicken feet at ultra-low prices. Most of these are smuggled products without relevant import documents, priced about 20% cheaper than legally imported ones.
In daily business operations, one should not buy or use "unlicensed" "dodgy goods," so as to create a good food consumption environment. And we should also pay more attention to food safety and not buy food carelessly.