China busts restaurants using poppy capsules for seasoning

A total of 35 restaurants and snack bars nationwide were investigated for adding poppy capsules or other illegal ingredients to food, said China's top food safety regulator.

Owners of 25 restaurants have been transferred to the public security department for criminal investigation, and among them, five will be prosecuted, said the China Food and Drug Administration. The other 10 are still under investigation by the administration.

It has been an "open secret" in the Chinese food industry that poppy-derived powder is used as a "secret ingredient" at some small restaurants in dishes or hotpots to improve the taste and lure customers to come back for more.

Controlled by the state as a narcotic, long-term consumption of poppy capsules can lead to addiction, damage the nervous system and cause chronic intoxication.

Adding poppy capsules to food is prohibited by China's Food Safety Law, and the Chinese government has taken a "zero tolerance" policy toward violations.

In June 2015, two managers of a restaurant in central China's Hubei Province were arrested by police on suspicion of adding opium poppy products to dishes.

Experts say that intensifying supervision and inspection of restaurants and imposing tougher penalties on violators would help prevent similar food safety scandals. Endi