Meat

China: Police bust million-dollar rat meat ring

Beijing: Chinese police have broken a crime ring that passed off more than $1 million in rat and small mammal meat as mutton, authorities said, in a food safety crackdown that coincides with a bird flu outbreak and other environmental pressures. Authorities have arrested 904 suspects since the end of January for selling and producing fake or tainted meat products, the Ministry of Public Security said in a statement posted on its website on Thursday.

During the crackdown, police discovered one suspect surnamed Wei who had used additives to spice up and sell rat, fox and mink meat at markets in Shanghai and Jiangsu province. Police arrested 63 suspects connected to the crime ring in a case valued at more than 10 million yuan in sales since 2009.

Despite persistent efforts by police, "food safety crimes are still prominent, and new situations are emerging with new characteristics", the ministry's statement said, citing "responsible officials". Police confiscated more than 20,000 tonnes of fake or inferior meat products after breaking up illegal food plants during the nationwide operation, the ministry said.

Food safety and environmental pollution are chronic problems in China and public anxiety over cases of fake or toxic food often spreads quickly. In April, many consumers lost their appetite for poultry as an outbreak of the H7N9 bird flu virus spread in China. Sales dropped by 80 per cent in eastern China, where the bird flu has been most prevalent, although experts stress that cooked chicken is 

UK: Hindus call for disclosure of meat sources

Hindu groups based in the UK have called on the government to enforce stricter disclosure norms after it emerged that many restaurants serving Indian food in Scotland were using the wrong kind of meat. In the wake of the Europe-wide horsemeat scandal that is still under investigation, it emerged that more than a third of Scottish curry restaurants could be using cheaper meat such as beef in dishes that claimed...  

Sneak peek: 'Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2'

The 2009 film adaptation of the popular children's book, 'Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs' proved to be a big hit. The gang is back for another adventure and we've got a sneak peek of 'Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2' which hits US theaters on September 27. ...

UK: Now, fast food giant Taco Bell caught in horse meat row

Taco Bell is the latest restaurant chain to acknowledge that its food has been adulterated with horse meat, yanking a variety of ground beef products from its three British outlets and issuing an apology to its patrons on Friday. Meanwhile, in Iceland, a food official said his team had found a beef product from a local producer that contained no meat at all. ...  

'Cloudy With A Chance To Meatballs 2' First Look

Barb is a highly evolved orangutan with a very manipulative human brain in the film. ...  

IKEA takes meatballs off Europe menus after horsemeat found

Sweden's IKEA stopped nearly all sales of meatballs at its furniture store cafeterias across Europe after tests in the Czech Republic on Monday showed some contained horsemeat. ...  

Nestle finds horsemeat in beef pasta meals

Nestle, the world's biggest food company, has removed beef pasta meals from sale in Italy and Spain after finding traces of horse DNA. The discovery of horsemeat in products labelled as beef has spread across Europe since January, prompting product withdrawals, consumer anger and government investigations into the continent's complex food-processing chains. ...  

Ireland: 10 mn burgers recalled over horsemeat fears

An Irish meat processor says it's recalling 10 million burgers from supermarkets across Ireland and Britain because of fears that some could contain horsemeat. Government authorities say Spanish or Dutch ingredients suppliers are suspected of causing the contamination. ...  

Lady Gaga's blood-stained dress on sale

Los Angeles: Lady Gaga's dress, which has her blood stain, is being put up for sale. The dress is said to be even more gruesome than her steak frock, reports thesun.co.uk. The Eddie Gavriilidis Ecstasy gown will go under the hammer at Julien's Auctions, Beverly Hills, Dec 1. It is expected to fetch more than 7,000 pounds. The guide says it "combines tan and gold python leather and nude mesh"....  

Chennai fish markets turn into 'silent zones'

Chennai: We have heard most teachers likening a noisy classroom to a fish market, as a comparison to the hustle bustle common to both. But, in the absence of its trademark noise and crowd, the fish markets in the city wore a deserted look a couple of days after the Tamil month of Purattasi began on Monday. The month is dedicated to Lord Perumal (Vishnu), and most devotees give up...  

T'puram airport: Bird hits to be checked

Thiruvananthapuram: Concerned over the increasing incidents of bird hits, the Airfield Environment Management Committee (AEMC) of the Thiruvananthapuram International Airport has decided not to allow the sale of meat and fish in the open in a 10-km radius of the airport. The airport had witnessed six incidents of bird hits in 2011-12 and three in 2012-13 till July, which is far above the normal rate. The Airports Authority of India...  

KTDC to purchase food products from govt agencies

Thiruvananthapuram: With food adulteration being reported from various parts of the state, Kerala Tourism Development Corporation (KTDC) has decided to purchase meat and fish from government agencies for all its hotels. The purchase will be made from the Livestock Development Board, Meat Products of India, Kerala State Coastal Area Development Corporation and other agencies. This will ensure that quality food is being served in all the KTDC hotels. KTDC managing...  

Sale of shawarma banned in Kochi district

Kochi: If Kochiites have developed an appetite for shawarma, it is now time to say goodbye to the Arabian extravaganza at least for the time being. The Food Safety Wing on Wednesday banned the sale of shawarma in the district following raids at various places in the city. The ban on the stalls will continue until the hotels and stalls concerned ensure hygiene and food safety. The decision was taken...  

Endangered animals, birds sold openly in Puducherry

Puducherry: Migratory birds and endangered animals protected by the Indian wildlife laws are being sold openly in a market in Puducherry. CNN-IBN has accessed images that expose the thriving lucrative business. At a roadside food stall, in the city of Puducherry the selling of protected birds and animals is a common sight. The images show ibis and purple moorhens, open billed storks being sold openly at roadside stalls. These birds...  

Rare birds, animals sold in Puducherry

Puducherry: Migratory birds and endangered animals protected by the Indian wildlife laws are being sold openly in a market in Puducherry. CNN-IBN has accessed images that expose the thriving lucrative business. The images show ibis and purple moorhens, open billed storks being sold openly at roadside stalls. These birds visit the Oussudu Wildlife Sanctuary in the winters for breeding where they are allegedly hunted. Jungle cats, palm civets, porcupine, monitor...  

Raise milk, meat production, says KV Thomas

Thiruvananthapuram: A major problem in the country is that it is not able to meet the rising needs of milk, meat, eggs, fish and edible oils, even though the inflation levels of all other essential commodities have fallen substantially with increased production, Union Minister of State for Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution KV Thomas has said. He felt that the state, which has structured a model for increasing milk...  

'Meat dressed' Lady GaGa in PETA campaign

Los Angeles: She was slammed by PETA for wearing a dress made out of meat at last year's MTV awards, but pop star Lady Gaga has been chosen by the animal rights group to front it's anti-fur campaign. The 'Pokerface' hitmaker along with Pink and Mariah Carey are the new faces of PETA's 'Fur-Free and Fabulous' campaign, following the footsteps of Michelle Obama and Oprah Winfrey, reported People magazine. "GaGa's...  

China serves dog meat to astronauts, criticised

Yang Liwei, China's first man in space has revealed it in his recent autobiography. ...  

Watch: Capital reels under unprecedented meat shortage

The new Ghazipur slaughterhouse is the bone of contention. ...