Baijiu, or rice wine, is one of the most popular drinks in China. It is known to feature whole frogs, snakes, powdered rhinoceros horn, tiger bones, etc.
A food safety investigation in the city of Liuzhou revealed the fact that a number of distilleries were adding Sildenafil powder to their Baijiu bottles. Sildenafil is widely-known as Viagra, an anti-impotence drug.
The firms were advertising the drink as having ‘health-preserving qualities’, such as reduced blood pressure. Approximately 5.300 bottles were seized by the investigators, totalling to about 113.000 USD.
Food safety is a huge issue in China. Just a few months ago, tons of decades-old-meat were found frozen or thawed in trucks. A few years back, six infants died and thousands were left with damaged kidneys after melamine was added to baby milk. Melamine is an ingredient used in fertilizers.
All alcohol producers have been ordered to thoroughly check their facilities and to stop producing beverages containing Sildenafil by the 15th of August.
Octavian Cătuşanu
Sursa foto: wsj.net