Students in a vocational school in Guangzhou were having a meal from their school cafeteria when they came across foreign plastic objects in their food.
The non-food objects appeared to be circular in shape and slightly transparent.
Screenshot via Weibo
In a clip by a video news outlet on Chinese social media Weibo, a student could be heard saying that he was eating roasted duck when he noticed the object.
In a separate video spliced together, another female student was also heard asking, "What is this thing?".
The students suspected that the objects were condoms, while one of them reported the incident to media, according to Jimu News.
Student wrote in to media
The student, surnamed Li, noted that his own school had rented to use the venue of a vocational school located in Guangzhou's Zengchang District to organise 18 days of training.
On Jul. 17, which was the sixth day of training, some students found the foreign plastic objects and alleged that they were condoms.
School’s response
Shortly after, the Guangzhou vocational school issued a statement, noting that all kitchen staff had been held accountable and penalised via a deduction in salary, Jimu News reported.
The chef involved in the case will also be expelled.
A special team was also set up to conduct internal investigations, such as the tracing of the source of raw materials, possible mistakes made in operation, as well as reviewing canteen processes.
The school then identified the unknown object to be “duck’s eyeball membrane”.
Not satisfied with explanation
Li found the school’s explanation unacceptable, pointing out that there was a big discrepancy between the foreign object and a duck's eyeball membrane.
He also highlighted that there was no third-party test report used to support the school’s conclusion, according to Jimu News.
Without proof from a third-party test report, he hoped that his remaining meal credits will be refunded and that the sanitation standards of the cafeteria can be improved.
In a later update on Jul. 18, it was reported that relevant departments have intervened in the case, while test results are pending.
Staff from the market supervision bureau of Zengcheng District also stated they were also looking into the matter.
According to a Weibo post by Guangzhou’s Market Supervision and Administration Bureau on Jul. 18, the canteen involved has been ordered to close, while the students' health conditions were being monitored closely.
Screenshot via Weibo
Not the first time
The incident has once again sparked online discussion on Chinese social media about food safety, with many referring to a previous known case.
In June 2023, a student similarly found a foreign object in his school food, which looked like a rat’s head.
The school initially said it was a duck’s neck, but authorities have since confirmed that it was indeed a rat’s head.
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Top images via Li/Jimu News