The Chinese government has launched a high-level probe into food transportation standards following reports that multiple companies used contaminated fuel tankers to transport cooking oil.
China’s cabinet, the State Council, has formed a team made up several government bodies — including the National Development and Reform Commission and the ministries of public security and transport — to investigate the matter, the South China Morning Post reported.
The investigation comes a week after Beijing News reported that companies where using tankers to transport fuel and cooking oil without properly decontaminating the tankers between trips in order to save money.
A driver told Beijing News that the practice was widespread and considered an “open secret,” according to the BBC.
Beijing News said several major Chinese companies, including a subsidiary of state-owned company Sinograin and the Hopefull Grain and Oil Group, were transporting food products like cooking and syrup via contaminated tankers.
Both companies said they were conducting their own investigations. In addition, Sinograin said it would suspend trucks it found did not follow proper safety regulations.
The BBC reported that Chinese officials have promised to immediately publish findings from their investigation and hold accountable companies and individuals found to be involved in wrongdoing.
The controversy has been a hot topic on Chinese social media. There have been thousands of posts regarding the scandal on Weibo, the Chinese equivalent of X, collectively garnering millions of views, the BBC reported.
Many of the posts compared the current scandal to the Sanlu milk scandal of 2008. At the time, Sanlu powdered milk products were contaminated with the industrial chemical melamine, which resulted in about 300,000 children getting sick and at least six deaths.