Shredded stockings found in packs of marinated eggs in Shandong
Staff Reporter
2014-11-14
A piece of a pair of stockings sold as a marinated egg at a supermarket in Linyi, Shandong. (Internet photo)
A Shandong resident discovered to her horror that five marinated eggs, or "Xiangbalao eggs," that she had bought for her child to eat turned out to contain pieces of a pair of stockings, reported Beijing-based newspaper The Mirror.
The food producer is reported to have dismissed the customer's complaint, stating that the incident is "normal."
The woman, a resident of the prefectural city of Linyi, said she bought five marinated eggs from a local supermarket home for her child.
The eggs, marinated in Chinese herbs, are a popular snack in China and are sold for 1 yuan (US$ 0.16) a piece.
Her child said the eggs "were too hard to chew on," however, and left them uneaten. She later discovered that the vacuum-packed eggs she bought were pieces of a pair of stockings.
"It was gross," said Guo to the press. "I would have thrown up on the spot if I was the one chewing on it."
The vacuum-packed marinated eggs were made by a food manufacturer in Xuzhou, Jiangsu province and were stamped with a guaranteed quality safety mark, which means the product has passed official inspections.
The woman informed the supermarket of the incident and the product was removed from shelves in the store.
According to the supermarket manager, the food manufacturer responded quite passively to the complaint. "At first they [food factory representatives] said they would compensate the buyer with 10 eggs. Later they added that they would pay her 500 yuan (US$81) to compensate her for her loss," he said.
The owner of the food company told a local press reporter that he is willing to compensate the woman, but claimed that this kind of incident is the norm in food factories.
The owner said they are investigating the issue. The woman has insisted, however, that the food maker apologize to her family in person.
