Recently, China's artificial products have been under the spotlight in Korea. Several mainstream Korean media have reported on the process of making artificial eggs in China, which has stirred up panic and caused great concern among Koreans.
On September 1 and 2, the Munhwa Broadcasting Corporation (MBC) did a documentary titled "Life without products made in China." The show followed the daily lives of three families in South Korea, the US, and Japan who refused to use products made in China. It also talked about rampant artificial eggs products in Chinese markets, catching the interest of the Korean public.
Following the show, Korea's number one newspaper Chosun Ilbo, published an article titled "MBC Special exposes artificial eggs made in China," reporting in detail how the artificial eggs were made.
The Dong-A Ilbo, another Korean newspaper, also published a report titled "Artificial eggs from China made of chemicals appear on the market" on August 14, 2007.
One-Tenth the Cost
According to the report from The Chosun Ilbo, due to the sharp increase in food prices in China, artificial eggs, made only from chemicals with no natural ingredients have appeared in Zhengzhou City, Henan Province.
Mr. Wang, who runs a company that makes food additives, described how artificial eggs were made. "The 'egg white' is made by dissolving sodium alginate in water. It appears to be a transparent viscous liquid and it's hard to distinguish it from real egg white.
"The 'egg yolk' is made by scooping up a liquid with yellow pigment and solidifying the scoop of liquid in a calcium chloride solution. In the end, the 'egg white' and 'egg yolks' are sealed into 'egg shells' made of calcium carbonate.
"If one adds starch or egg yolk powder to the 'egg yolk,' the texture of a artificial egg after it's cooked is almost identical to real eggs."
Wang said it costs only 0.55 yuan (US$0.07) to make more than 2 lbs. of eggs, less than one-tenth the price of real eggs on the market (US$0.8.)
The main ingredients in the artificial eggs are food additives, resin, starch, solidifier, and pigments. Over consumption will damage the stomach and cause symptoms such as loss of memory and mental retardation, etc.
Koreans Are Disenchanted
The special documentary and news report stirred up concerns and panic amongst Koreans. Many Koreans expressed that although products made in China such as clothing, electronics, etc., are inexpensive and have brought convenience to their lives, their quality and safety are indeed worrisome.
Not long ago, toys made in China were taken off the shelves in the supermarkets due to the paint on the toys containing extremely high amounts of heavy metals that threatened children's safety.
Artificial Egg-Making Courses Advertised Online in China
In fact artificial eggs are not something new in China. Training courses for "making artificial eggs" are widespread in Beijing, Henan, Shandong, Hebei, and Guangdong provinces. An Epoch Times reporter did a search on the Internet and found many such advertisements. The classes run from one to two days and tuition ranges from 300 to 800 yuan (US$40-100).
A certain training center in Shangqiu City teaches artificial egg making techniques and gives out free molds with the classes. The training center guarantees that "You can hardly tell the difference in appearance and taste between our product and real eggs."
What's Real Food in China?
A research center based in Fengtai, Beijing, claims that "Our company has been spreading the technology in making artificial eggs. We trained over 70 thousand students in over 20 provinces in the country. We also provide technologies to make "artificial grapes," "artificial beef and chicken," and "making hawthorn flavored candied fruit without using hawthorn fruits."
Following the recent spate of reports on the quality of products made in China, some Koreans have exclaimed, "So what can you eat in China? Indeed the food industry in China is swamped with lies and fraud, hence it is creating a panic amongst consumers."
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