Cancer-causing Peanuts Found in Guangdong

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A cancer-causing chemical has been found in peanuts and cooking oil in Shenzhen in Guangdong province. Local authorities declared food products from several stores contained the chemical aflatoxin. The same chemical was recently found in milk products."

Cancer-causing peanuts and cooking oil, the latest food scandal in China. Authorities in Guangdong province say they have found high levels of aflatoxin in peanuts sold in three stores and oil used at four restaurants in Shenzhen. Aflatoxin is a chemical compound that can occur in crops, especially in tropical or sub-tropical regions such as Guangdong.

[Professor Wang Shiping, China Agricultural University]:
"Aflatoxin grows easily on crops, it is recognized internationally as a carcinogen. It can cause cancer of the liver. It is very easy for it to combine with other proteins in the body to form another poisonous substance and this can cause cancer."

Authorities say they have recalled cooking oil products made by three companies. This latest scandal comes shortly after the same chemical was found in milk produced by dairy company Mengniu. Aflatoxin is recognized as a carcinogen by the World Health Organization.

Food safety scandals are common in China. In 2008 melamine-tainted milk killed six babies and made over 300 thousand sick.