Following reports of pond water meat, bleach-soaked pigs' feet and fake duck blood products, we now have to worry about steering clear of gelatin-filled shrimp. Yes, a vendor in Zhejiang is now under investigation after the tiny crustaceans at his shop were found to be injected with gelatin. Euuuugh.
The shrimps were recently purchased in a market in Wenzhou. The buyer, surnamed Zheng, said she saw a blob of jello-like substance fall off from the head and body of the shrimps. Uncertain whether it was edible, Zheng did not dare to try it.
She exposed the story to the media, and the case soon came to the attention of authorities, who are now conducting investigations.
The vendor who sold the shrimp claimed that he has never encountered such a situation and doesn't know the material may be, explaining that the seafood products were bought from another retailer. He has been taken in by police for investigation.
Some seafood vendors revealed that after a frozen shrimp is defrosted, the body tends to become dry and flat, and so some sellers inject gelatin inside to give it a better presentation and increase the weight.
By Joyce Ng, Shanghaiist