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‘Human teeth’ found in sausages, dim sum spark major food safety scare in China
Diners across China found human and artificial teeth in food, reigniting nationwide outrage over food safety.
Multiple shocking discoveries of human teeth in food items have reignited public concern over food safety in China, according to a report by the South China Morning Post (SCMP).
On October 13, a woman in Jilin province’s northeastern region reported finding a row of three artificial human teeth inside a sausage she had bought for her child. The grilled sausage was purchased from an outdoor stall. Initially, the vendor denied that the teeth were present at the time of sale, but later apologised after the local market supervision authorities intervened.
On the same day, another woman revealed that her father discovered two human teeth inside dim sum at a Sanjin Soup Dumplings restaurant in Dongguan City, southern Guangdong province. The woman confirmed that the teeth did not belong to her father.
The restaurant chain stated that all its dumplings were supplied directly from its company headquarters but could not determine how the teeth got there. Local authorities have since launched an investigation into the incident, SCMP reported.
Another case at Sam’s Club in Shanghai
A similar case was reported the following day in Shanghai, where a customer discovered an artificial human tooth embedded in a jujube and walnut cake she bought at a local branch of Sam’s Club. The woman recognised it as artificial due to the visible metal screw.
Sam’s Club, known for its high food quality standards, operates over 50 outlets across more than 20 Chinese cities. The cake in question was priced at 27.8 yuan (US$4) for a 520-gram box.
According to SCMP, a staff member at the branch expressed shock at the discovery, claiming that food produced in their factories “should not have such problems.” The customer later returned to the store to assert her rights and was reportedly offered 1,000 yuan (US$140) as compensation. However, she refused to accept the offer, citing dissatisfaction with the staff’s attitude.
Authorities begin probe
As per SCMP, China’s Food Safety Law mandates that companies producing or selling unsafe food must compensate consumers ten times the price of the item or three times their losses, with 1,000 yuan as the minimum compensation.
The Shanghai Pudong New District Market Supervision Department has initiated an investigation into the incident.
