"Strange object" in student's rice plate causes controversy in China
SCMP SCREENSHOT
The People's Daily , the mouthpiece of the Chinese Communist Party, published an editorial on June 18 criticizing grassroots officials after a working group concluded that the "foreign object" in a student's rice dish was a rat's head.
The article said the incident demonstrated the failure of grassroots officials to deal with problems, lack of understanding of the law and lack of awareness of the power of the internet and public opinion.
"Failure to deal with problems will only lead to bigger problems. The more the truth is hidden, the more likely the crisis of confidence will occur," the article said.
Previously, a student at Jiangxi Polytechnic College in Nanchang City (Jiangxi Province) posted a video of "an object with teeth, eyes and nose" in a plate of rice in the school cafeteria on June 1.
The school repeatedly denied the incident and posted a notice from the local market supervision agency claiming that the "foreign object" was a "duck neck". Another video posted online showed an inspector in Nanchang agreeing with the conclusion that it was a "duck neck".
The incident has raised public concerns about food safety and netizens are calling for an investigation. "Ordinary people can easily tell what it is when they see the photo," said one person.
Provincial inspectors later stepped in and concluded that the initial “duck neck” assessment was wrong. “Based on photographs and video footage taken by the students, the country’s leading animal experts concluded that it was the head of a rodent,” according to the inspection report.
The report said the cafeteria staff had discarded the foreign object, so the provincial inspector's conclusion was based on field research, surveillance footage and interviews with witnesses, including cafeteria staff and students.
Additionally, the report said the canteen owner involved in the case of the rice dish with the rat's head had his business license revoked and was subject to the maximum fine, but did not give details.
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