The Fake Meat Scare: Is it Really Fake?

http://www.etaiwannews.com/etn/news_content.php?id=976592&lang=eng_news

Over 50% of processed foods for vegetarians found to contain meat
Central News Agency 2009-06-14 06:38 PM
Taipei, June 14 (CNA) The Investigation Bureau has recently found that some processed foods advertised as vegetarian contained meat, and it has vowed to refer producers who knowingly added meat to their products for prosecution on fraud charges. Pu Chang-en, a technician at the bureau's department of forsensic science, said Sunday that among samples collected from 31 vegetarian food vendors in Taipei City and County for safety checks, food taken from 17 vendors were found to contain meat. DNA tests revealed that in the two most serious cases, the vegetarian patties and ham of one vendor and vegetarian dried shredded pork from another vendor contained at least 20 percent beef or pork, Pu said. An investigation targeting the producers of the fraudulent vegetarian processed foods has been launched to find out whether meat was deliberately added to the soybean-based products to enrich their texture and flavor. Fu explained that it is possible that vegetarian foods showing small traces of meat could have been contaminated by poorly cleaned work tables or cooking equipment in factories that also produce meat products. Producers found not to have deliberately defrauded consumers would not be subject to prosecution but would receive a warning and be ordered to remove problem products off store shelves, Fu said. (By Elizabeth Hsu)

This is disturbing to say the least.

This should concern all veg'ns who eat mock-meats anywhere in the world, as the majority of fake meats sold at "Chinese" vegetarian restaurants or stores around the world are made here in Taiwan, not in China.

It is not clear whether this is about products from non-vegetarian vendors (which should be treated with suspicion everywhere, especially in Asia - I rarely eat at non-vegetarian places in Taiwan) or includes those sold by vegetarian producers and restaurants. It seems hard to believe that Buddhists and I-Kuan-Tao - the smaller (egg-eating) vegetarian group here would add meat to their products, but it's not impossible.

To look on the bright side, at least here the authorities conduct DNA tests to check that things labelled "vegetarian" actually are.

So I say, watch this space. In the meantime, I find myself ever-so-slightly more likely to opt for a ladle of ma-po-tofu over fake chicken or pork at the buffets.