Police recently discovered that an individual, identified only by the last name Wei, had sold rat, fox, and mink meat as mutton at markets in Shanghai and Jiangsu.
The Ministry of Public Security released a statement on Thursday affirming that Chinese Authorities have arrested 904 suspects for selling and producing fake/tainted meat products.
It was during this large-scale crackdown that police discovered the rat meat ring; Chinese authorities have arrested 63 suspects connected to the rat meat ring. The crime ring is valued at more than $1.6 million citing sales since 2009.
The ministry revealed that police seized more than 22 tons of fake or inferior meat products after busting the rat meat ring, which spread nationwide.
Food safety and environmental crimes are rampant in China, due to cases like the rat meat ring, public anxiety over fake and toxic food spreads quickly; the ministry addressed these concerns in their statement citing "responsible officials", "food safety crimes are still prominent, and new situations are emerging with new characteristics."
In April, sales of poultry dropped 80% following an outbreak of the H7N9 bird flu virus that spread rampantly through eastern China. The month before, the citizens of China were in shock, when more than 16,000 dead and rotting pigs were found floating in one of Shanghai's man water sources.
Following a consistent string of nauseating food issues, the public was outraged when Chinese officials busted the rat meat ring. Many citizens took to the Internet to vent frustrations and health concerns.
The popular blogging site Sina Weibo was in chaos with users posting personal stories, reactions, and outcry.
One user wrote, "Rats? How disgusting. Everything we eat is poison."
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