CCTV 3·15 Gala exposes chicken feet bleached with hydrogen peroxide

Exposure

China Central Television (CCTV, 中央电视台)’s high‑profile 3·15 consumer rights gala tonight aired an investigation that it has been reported exposed widespread use of hydrogen peroxide (双氧水) to bleach so‑called “internet‑famous” chicken feet snacks. Reporters who posed as buyers entered production workshops in Sichuan and Chongqing and documented squalid conditions: chicken feet piled on damp floors, cleaning tools left on top of product, workers handling food without health certificates or disinfection. How did a corrosive disinfectant end up in ready‑to‑eat snacks?

Findings from the field

It has been reported that reporters were told by on‑site staff that a bleaching step using hydrogen peroxide was routinely applied — making finished chicken feet uniformly white despite the filthy environment. Investigators visited Mingyang Food (明扬食品) and ShuFuxiang Food Co., Ltd. (蜀福香食品有限责任公司) and found unlabelled blue barrels and product containers; workers reportedly admitted they would not eat the product themselves. In Chongqing, inspectors also found barrels labelled as hydrogen peroxide from Jinshan Pharmaceutical (金山制药有限公司) and say samples of soaking water, semi‑finished and finished products tested positive for peroxide residues.

Regulatory response and downstream questions

The State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR, 国家市场监督管理总局) was reportedly handed the probe materials and moved quickly. SAMR teams conducted surprise inspections, seized dozens of barrels of hydrogen peroxide, and impounded hundreds of cartons of suspect chicken‑feet products while opening legal inquiries into ShuFuxiang, Mingyang, Chongqing Zengqiao Food Co., Ltd. (曾巧食品有限公司) and upstream suppliers including Jinshan Pharmaceutical and Yifeng Electronic New Materials (亿丰电子新材料). Regulators and experts warn that hydrogen peroxide is not permitted for this use and can damage oral mucosa and organs if ingested over time; excessive exposure can be life‑threatening.

Why this matters

For Western readers: CCTV’s 3·15 Gala is an annual, state‑backed consumer‑rights broadcast that often precipitates rapid enforcement in China, especially where media exposure uncovers supply‑chain breaches. This case highlights broader challenges — illicit diversion of industrial or pharmaceutical chemicals into the food chain, failures in food‑safety oversight, and the downstream public‑health risks — and puts a spotlight on how quickly regulators can be mobilized once a scandal is aired. Will tougher enforcement and tighter controls on hazardous‑chemical distribution break this black chain? The outcome will signal how aggressively China polices food‑safety gaps exposed by high‑visibility media investigations.