Chinese noodle factory shut down after workers caught napping on food
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Authorities have ordered a Chinese noodle factory to shut down after photos emerged online showing workers stomping noodles under their bare feet, and even taking naps on piles of noodles.
The Daojiao Tongcheng Rice Noodle Factory had already been chastised for its poor hygienic practices last year, and its owners had promised to shape up. Earlier this week, however, an Internet user posted these photos to Weibo, China’s equivalent of Twitter. Authorities in Guangdong province, where the factory is located, have ordered it to close for inspections, according to the Yangcheng Evening Report.
An official from the Dongguan Food and Drug Administration said that the photos were taken several months ago, before the Chinese Spring Festival, which took place on January 31. The Daojiao company runs a total of 15 noodle factories throughout Guangdong province, which produce between 800 and 12,000 tons of noodles per day, meaning they could have sold vast quantities of tainted products.
This story has shocked many Chinese Internet users. However, food scandals are quite common in China. Last year, for example, Chinese journalists created a sensation after reporting on “gutter oil”, which is cooking oil that is illegally recycled and resold to consumers.