Duck blood mixed with chicken blood? Taipei City Department of Health tests 20 samples and finds they are all mixed blood
When eating hot pot in winter, many people like to order a plate of duck blood, but the Taipei City Department of Health sampled 20 duck blood items from restaurants and found that all of them were mixed with chicken blood. Qiu Xiuyi, director of the Food and Drug Division of the Taipei City Department of Health, said that chicken and duck slaughterhouses usually use the same slaughter line, so the mixing may occur at the source. In the industry, the product is also commonly referred to as water blood or poultry blood when bought and sold. It should not be malicious addition; it is just that consumers have a different understanding. However, restaurants will be guided afterward to label the ingredients of duck blood, and packaged products must list all raw materials. If duck blood contains chicken blood but is not labeled, fines of 40,000 to 200,000 yuan may apply.
Taipei City Department of Health sampled 20 duck blood items, all tested positive for chicken blood
In October, the Taipei City Department of Health sampled duck blood from major hot pot restaurants. None of the 20 samples tested positive for colorants or preservatives, but after earlier reports that some operators were passing off pork blood as duck blood, the Department of Health specially added testing for animal-derived genetic components and found that, in addition to duck components, all 20 samples tested positive for chicken components. Of these, 15 came from the same company in New Taipei City. No pork components were detected.
The Taipei City Department of Health conducted further investigation of slaughterhouses and duck blood operators and found that duck blood and chicken blood are likely mixed at the source. Some poultry slaughterhouses slaughter both chickens and ducks; because they are on the same slaughter line, it is very difficult to collect the blood separately. Operators should not be adding chicken blood maliciously.
Qiu Xiuyi, director of the Food and Drug Administration Division of the Taipei City Department of Health, said this situation is very common. Sometimes when duck blood is insufficient, operators also add a little chicken blood. In wholesale trade, it is usually called "water blood" or "poultry blood," and is not specifically called "pure duck blood." Also, no pork blood components were detected this time, so operators claiming "poultry" blood are not wrong, and it should not be intentional deception. However, the testing machines of the Taipei City Department of Health can only determine presence, not the ratio of duck blood to chicken blood.
Industry: Chicken blood is too firm and cannot replace duck blood
Boss Liu of Baosheng Memorial Farm Poultry and Meat Shop, which also operates slaughtering and meat wholesale, said that many slaughterhouses do indeed slaughter both chickens and ducks, but chicken blood is much firmer than duck blood. If chicken blood firmness is 10, duck blood is 6, and goose blood is 3. Most people eat duck blood for its smooth texture, so chicken blood would not appear on the market. If duck blood contains chicken blood, the proportion cannot be too high.
However, another operator pointed out that slaughterhouses definitely slaughter all the chickens first, clean up, and only then slaughter the ducks. They do not slaughter them mixed together. Collecting a single type of blood is not that difficult. In addition, animal blood coagulates within ten minutes, so to soften and mix chicken blood and duck blood, operators may use additives.
Apart from the concern about mixed blood, this operator also pointed out that traditional duck blood is very simple to make: after collecting duck blood, just add a little salt. But it spoils after about 1-2 days. Now many operators add unknown additives to extend shelf life and make the texture smoother. Traditionally made fresh duck blood is very smooth, but like rice cake, it "slumps" after a day. If it does not, chemical additives may have been added.
Duck blood that is not fully cooked may cause acute gastroenteritis
Yan Zonghai, attending physician in the Department of Nephrology at Linkou Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, said that whether it is duck blood, chicken blood, or pork blood, there are many bacteria in the production process. When blood from different animals is mixed, the bacterial load may be even higher. If it is not fully cooked, it can cause acute gastroenteritis. It is best to eat less.
Qiu Xiuyi said the purpose of announcing this is not to cause panic, but to help the public better understand the limitations of duck blood production. It is true that there is a bit of a gap with public understanding, and in the future restaurants will be guided to label duck blood ingredients on menus. At present, bulk products do not need to label raw material ingredients, and the Department of Health has no grounds to fine them. For packaged products, duck blood ingredients must be clearly stated, and violators may be fined 40,000 to 200,000 yuan.