3·15 Gala | Exposing Unscrupulous "Bleached Chicken Feet"! Production Workshops Revolting, Toxic Hydrogen Peroxide Used Carelessly

Most chicken feet sold on the market are bright white and plump, making them look very appetizing. However, one detail has attracted the close attention of reporters: the price of chicken feet. A 500-gram portion of chicken feet often sells for as little as 15 yuan. Are the popular chicken feet products truly as clean and safe as their appearance suggests?

With this question in mind, a reporter from the 315 Evening Gala investigated the booming chicken foot sales in Sichuan and Chongqing. Without any health certificates, health checks, or sanitation procedures, the reporter easily entered Mingyang Food Production Workshop in Chengdu, which is the preliminary processing site for Shufu Xiang Food Co., Ltd.'s chicken foot products.

At the scene, the reporter observed that the processing workshop was filled with a foul smell in the soaking, trimming, and sorting areas. The pungent, fishy odor was nauseating. The environment was filthy and disorderly: the floor was long-term stained with murky wastewater, plastic baskets were piled haphazardly, and machinery surfaces were covered with grime and grease. In this workshop, a large number of chicken feet were directly exposed and piled on the damp, dirty floor. Cleaning tools like brooms and shovels were casually placed on the chicken feet. Even if workers stepped on the chicken feet, they simply picked them up and returned them to the processing baskets without any regard for hygiene or safety.

As the investigation deepened, a key piece of information was uncovered: despite the dirty environment, the final chicken feet products appeared bright and appealing because the factory used a crucial “bleaching” process.

An employee admitted, “They are bleached with hydrogen peroxide.” Hydrogen peroxide, scientifically known as peroxide, is a strong oxidizer and disinfectant commonly used for sterilization. According to national regulations, hydrogen peroxide is not allowed in chicken foot processing because it destroys nutrients like proteins. Long-term consumption of foods soaked in it can cause damage to the oral mucosa, liver, and kidney functions, and excessive intake can be life-threatening.

The reporter, posing as a customer, entered the factory area of Shufu Xiang Food Co., Ltd. During a visit to the frying area, numerous unmarked containers caught the eye. Over a dozen blue plastic barrels, each holding about 50 jin of liquid, were stacked on carts. The barrels only bore the words “Jinshan” with no product name, manufacturer information, or production labels.

A staff member from Shufu Xiang Food Co., Ltd. said, “We add something to it. I tell you, it’s added. That’s why it’s so white.” The worker explained that chicken feet soaked in hydrogen peroxide are never eaten by their staff, and they advise reporters not to eat it either, because the toxic effects of directly using hydrogen peroxide on chicken feet are well known to the workers.

The reporter also found that this practice was not limited to this one company. At Chongqing Zengqiao Food Co., Ltd., the reporter discovered numerous recycled blue barrels labeled with hydrogen peroxide, which is commonly known as hydrogen peroxide, with a concentration as high as 35%. The manufacturer was Jinshan Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. in Meishan City. Posing as a regular worker, the reporter successfully joined Chongqing Zengqiao Food Co., Ltd. without health certificates, health checks, or sanitation procedures. Internal sources confirmed that the chicken feet here were indeed bleached with hydrogen peroxide.