China is no stranger to a food scandal, whether it be exploding watermelons, poisoned powdered milk or pesticide tainted steamed buns; however, the rancidness of this latest discovery, undoubtedly exceeds all others— the sale of 40-year-old meat.

Last month, the Chinese media reported that a number of meat traders had been trading nearly half a billion dollars’ worth of beef, pork and chicken that had been frozen for up to 40 years. The meat, some of which dated back to the 1970s, had been smuggled across China’s boarders. As reported by state-run China Daily newspaper, authorities seized aged meat worth up to 3 billion renminbi ($483 million) in a nationwide crackdown. 14 gangs involved in the smuggling have since been arrested.

Reportedly, the meat made its way into China by first being shipped to Hong Kong. There the meat was transported to the Vietnam boarder where it was “difficult to control the flow of meat.” Traders then smuggled the meat across the border and into China to avoid import restrictions and inspections. The meat, which was refrozen several times, was being transported in non-refrigerated trucks in order to keep costs low.

“It was too smelly. A truck full of it. I almost threw up when the door opened,” Zhang Tao, a customs administration official in Changsha, was quoted as saying by Xinhua.

Shockingly, a large amount of this 40-year-old meat had made its way into the largest wholesale market in the city. According to the Changah Administration Customs station, one-third of the meat on sale there was illegally imported. The meat was also sold to retailers, supermarkets and restaurants across the country. Some of the retailers had purchased the meat on an online website called Taobao.

As of yet, Chinese officials have not explained the origin of the meat, neither have they provided an explanation for how the meat was stored for so long.

With this latest discovery, food safety within China has become a heavier concern. Just eight years ago, China was in dismay after it was discovered that industrial chemical melamine had been illegally added to dairy products. The products killed at least 6 babies and made 300,000 people ill.

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