In China they even make fake eggs and sell them to people to eat, according to a report in the Internet Journal of Toxicology.
The above chart shows how to make one.
You don't need a chicken. Just combine sodium agla acid, water, gelatine, baifan, sodium benzoate, lactone, carboxymethyl cellulose, calcium carbide, lysine, food colouring agent, calcium chloride, paraffin wax, and gypsum powder.
Oh China, what won't you counterfeit?
There's been no known cases of these eggs reaching America, but it just goes to show the diabolical depth some Chinese food makers will go to to make a buck, as well as reinforcing the need for stricter inspections of the imported food supply. — BEN POPKEN
Faked Eggs: The World's Most Unbelievable Invention [The Internet Journal of Toxicology]
RELATED: Oh China [The Liberal Application]
Egg Piracy In China [Paul Tan]
Who's Monitoring Chinese Food Exports? [WSJ]
hm....I have been here for almost 6 years...I wonder how many fake things I have consumed...and how my organism will handle all these chemicals in the long run. May God have mercy on all of us living in China!
wow..."rapid economic growth" and the "alleviation of hundreds of millions of people from extreme poverty" gotta have a price...people will, unfortunately, have to pay it with their health!
I'm a New Yorker in Shanghai and yes, I've seen it all and done it all. The egg story is true. You have to give it to the Chinese to think of crazy ways to do things. They also find ways to bleach the veggies so they look great when you go to the market. They last longer but definetly the chemicals might hurt you.
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According to a recent paper ad of the grocery chain Carrefour in Shanghai, a carton of 15 eggs is 9.90 Chinese Yuan. The current exchange rate between Chinese Yuan and US Dollar is 7.706 Yuan equal 1 US Dollar. Therefore, 15 eggs cost about
$1.29.
Keep in mind that Carrefour is one of the richer grocery chains that caters to the Chinese yuppies. Typically you can get the same stuff much cheaper at other grocery stores.
I have personally purchased eggs in China at the price of 4 Yuan per 500 grams. That is about 47 US cents per pound.
http://www.tian.cc/2007/05/hoax-chinese-counterfeit-eggs.h...
It has nothing to do whether Chinese counterfeiters agrees with its government's policies, nor global trade.
I am simply commenting on if the content of the linked story is legitimate or not.
]]>I don't have a problem with this story if it was indeed true and reported by a credible scientific organization, ie. CDC, FDA, or JAMA, with reliable references.
However I do have a problem with people post stories without verifying its legitimacy. Especially internet hoaxes and urban legends.
I have been a long time reader of Consumerist.com and truly value the information it provides. However, by posting this story without adding comments like "smells fishy, but anything is possible", or "those clever Chinese people, what will they think up next", it gives this hoax more strength to be passed on.
To certain point, this is almost like jumping onto a bandwagon after the pet food recall.
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By the way, I'm chinese, so don't try the race card bs on me.
]]>Meaning it isn't far fetched...in fact people pay more for fake eggs, um, because they are "healthier".
So this is just a case of China bootlegging "heart-healthy" American products, but skipping the bullshit health aspects. Not a hoax?
]]>Just because something is posted on the internet, it does not mean it is actually true.
Ben, I would expect people from Fox News would be suckered into publish such story, but not you.
http://www.tian.cc/2007/05/hoax-chinese-counterfeit-eggs.h...
Enough spectators, and possibly athletes die or get ill, and China might get shamed into reform.
]]>I think you mean "There have been no known cases of these..."
"There's" is a contraction of "there has." I don't think you meant to say "There has been no known cases of these..."
I know this isn't supposed to be top-notch journalism, but c'mon.
]]>Boingboing seems to think it's a hoax.
]]>very general rules of thumb for gwailo tourists: avoid the century eggs. if you can't read the menu, don't eat there. if you don't know what it is, don't eat it. treat street vendors with the same level of suspicion that you'd treat stateside street vendors. otherwise, go nuts.
just realized: generally speaking, the above is pretty good advice for any given chinatown, as well.
]]>Are the Chinese fake eggs getting smaller each year? I think not. They've got a long way to go to catch up w/ Cadbury.
]]>Fake eggs? Disgusting!
]]>Is this real?
]]>This is going to pain me to say, but tell her to look to the Golden Arches. McDonalds has world wide standards for their crap.
]]>http://www.engadget.com/2007/05/04/keepin-it-real-fake-par...
Fave line: "It's just a cat with large ears."
]]>Then again, I could be wrong.
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Anyone have any recommendations on where she should eat to make sure she's getting real, uncontaminated food?
The stuff that releases acetylene gas when mixed with water?
THAT calcium carbide?
Seems to me that your egg factory would blow up if you're doing this on a large enough scale.
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