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July 9, 2024 from the Business Insider:

• "China has been hit by another major food scandal, this time involving cooking oil in chemical tanks.
• "State media found tank trucks were delivering chemicals and edible oil interchangeably without cleaning.
• "The report has ignited backlash and calls for investigations from the Chinese public this week.

"A new cooking-oil scandal has erupted in China, about a decade after the country's infamous crackdown on restaurants reusing gutter oil and sewage grease.

"he furor follows a bombshell investigation published on July 2 by the state media outlet Beijing News, which found multiple cases of tank trucks transporting edible cooking oil immediately after delivering chemicals used for coal-to-liquid processing.

"The report's author, Han Futao, found that none of the tank interiors were cleaned between loads.

"Han described one case in which a tank truck in Hebei province delivered chemicals in Qinhuangdao before rushing to Sanhe days later to be filled with soy oil.

"Several truck drivers told Beijing News the practice was a widespread cost-saving measure used by firms with thousands of trucks — an "open secret" in the industry, Han wrote.

"In some seasons, the truckers said, drivers would transport industrial wastewater before delivering edible oils.

"National regulations have been a key target for public anger. They recommend that oil companies use tank trucks dedicated to edible substances, but the guideline is only encouraged and isn't mandatory.

"Food safety in China has already been a sensitive topic for years in the wake of multiple scandals involving gutter oil and deadly chemicals in baby milk powder.