The 315 Gala exposed the use of clenbuterol in raising mutton. This thing is very harmful. How can we avoid it?

This year's 315 Gala exposed an incident related to food safety: at a sheep breeding base in Cangzhou, Hebei Province, which slaughters approximately 700,000 sheep each year, the sheep were actually fed clenbuterol.

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The staff tested the feed at the sheep farm and the results showed positive for clenbuterol.

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In recent years, the detection of clenbuterol incidents has actually become common:

As early as 10 years ago, on March 15, 2011, CCTV exposed the situation of pig farms in Mengzhou, Wenxian and other places in Henan Province feeding pigs with clenbuterol; in the 315 Gala in 2017, CCTV also exposed the behavior of some feed companies illegally adding clenbuterol and other banned drugs to feed; in October 2020, a merchant in Yongji, Jilin Province illegally added clenbuterol to cattle and was sentenced to 6 months in prison and fined 5,000 yuan... Why is the state repeatedly prohibiting the addition of clenbuterol? What are the harms? How can consumers distinguish it? Let's talk about it in detail today.

01 What is Clenbuterol? It is an illegal additive!

What we call clenbuterol is not a single substance, but a class of substances, including: clenbuterol hydrochloride, ractopamine, salbutamol, etc. In my country, the most common illegal feed additive is clenbuterol hydrochloride, and it has the greatest toxic side effects.

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Clenbuterol is not a food additive, but an illegal additive. It is not only banned in my country, but also in most countries around the world.

02 Why do we add it to pigs, cattle and sheep? More lean meat, higher income!

Tests have shown that clenbuterol can increase lean meat percentage by 9% to 16% while reducing skeletal muscle fat by 8% to 15%. This is not just the case with lamb, which was exposed on March 15 this year. Pork, beef, and even chicken, duck, and goose may all be added during the breeding process. [1] Although clenbuterol can increase the weight of lean meat, the actual purpose of illegally adding clenbuterol is generally to increase the overall weight of the animal. Because lean meat tissue has a stronger water absorption capacity than fat, it can absorb more water and store it in the muscles, which can increase the weight of the animal and sell it at a higher price.

People from the sheep farm that was exposed on March 15 this year also said: After feeding the sheep with clenbuterol, a sheep can be sold for an extra 50 to 60 yuan, and thousands of sheep can bring in an income of 50,000 to 60,000 yuan!

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03 What are the hazards of eating it? It may cause dizziness at the mildest and death at the worst!

Cases of poisoning from consuming clenbuterol are not uncommon: [2]

In 1990, in Catalonia, Spain, 135 people from 43 families were poisoned after eating beef liver with residues of clenbuterol.

In 1996, in Caserta, Italy, 62 cases of poisoning occurred due to eating beef containing clenbuterol residues;

In August 2001, a mass poisoning incident occurred in Tonglu County, Zhejiang Province, due to eating pork and pig offal containing clenbuterol, poisoning more than 180 people;

On November 7, 2001, more than 690 citizens in Heyuan City, Guangdong Province were poisoned at the same time after eating pork contaminated with clenbuterol.

This shows how harmful clenbuterol is to human health. After a person consumes clenbuterol, it will remain in the body. The toxicity varies from person to person. In mild cases, symptoms of poisoning may appear, including dizziness, nausea, chest tightness, fatigue, tremors in the hands and feet, etc. In severe cases, it may lead to respiratory failure, shock, and death of patients with hypertension. [1, 3]

04 How can consumers stay away from clenbuterol?

How can we avoid buying meat containing clenbuterol? Here are four suggestions using pork as an example: [4]

① Look at the color: Normal pork has a light red color, good elasticity, and no water seepage. However, the lean meat of pigs fed with clenbuterol will be bright red, slightly water seepage, poor elasticity, and a very thin fat layer of less than 1 cm.

② Test with test strips: You can use clenbuterol test strips, which can be bought online and are very cheap. Although it is not 100% accurate, it can be used as a reference. It should be noted that it is best to test several times by yourself. Of course, the final judgment of whether the meat is qualified should still be based on the test results of the national authoritative testing department.

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③ Check the test report: When buying meat, be sure to check whether the pork is stamped with a quarantine stamp and a quarantine certificate. You can also ask the merchant for a test report on clenbuterol. For example, the Changchun Meat Management Regulations, which was implemented in May 2019, listed drug residues and clenbuterol as mandatory items for meat inspection, and this item must be included in the test report.

④ Purchase channel: It is safer to buy meat in regular large supermarkets or markets. When buying meat in wholesale markets or street vendors, you should pay special attention to identification.

05 Eat meat healthily but don’t be greedy. Control the amount and it will be safer.

According to the recommendations of the "Dietary Guidelines for Chinese Residents", the recommended daily intake of livestock and poultry meat is 40~75g. Three fingers of raw lean meat is about 50g.

In addition, clenbuterol is metabolized slowly and has a high level of drug residue. When pigs are fed clenbuterol, it will remain in their bodies, especially in their livers. Therefore, for safety reasons, it is best not to eat too much animal liver. [6] It is recommended to eat animal liver 2-3 times a month, 25g each time. [5]

To summarize:

Although the 315 event this year once again exposed the issue of clenbuterol, it does not mean that all meat is inedible. Although clenbuterol is harmful to health, my country's market supervision is also being strengthened, and it is still safe to buy from regular supermarkets and markets.

In addition, pay attention to eating less offal and eat meat in moderation. If you are really worried and don't want to eat meat, you must ensure the intake of eggs, milk, beans, nuts, and dietary nutritional supplements to get enough protein and other nutrients.

References:

[1] Ling Mingliang, Huang Renshu. Harm of clenbuterol and its detection methods[J]. Anhui Agricultural Science Bulletin, 2003(04):87-88.

[2] Yang Haofeng, Yan Lei. Pharmacological effects, hazards and detection of clenbuterol hydrochloride[J]. Bulletin of Endemic Diseases, 2006, 21(001):101-104.

[3] Li Xianyun. Research progress on toxicity and mutagenicity of clenbuterol[J]. Journal of Guangxi Medical University, 2009,

[4] China’s Anti-Infringement and Counterfeiting Work Network:

http://jiangsu.ipraction.gov.cn/article/sjbj/202004/264586.html

[5] Chinese Nutrition Society. Dietary Guidelines for Chinese Residents[M]. People's Medical Publishing House, 2016

[6] Mei Xiaoyan, Wang Mingmin, Shi Xuezhong, et al. Supervision issues of “clenbuterol” in animal quarantine supervision and law enforcement [J]. Henan Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Medicine, 2007.026(004):653-655.

Author | Xue Qingxin, member of Chinese Nutrition Society, registered nutrition technician, health manager, public nutritionist

Review | Song Shuang, Associate Researcher, Institute of Nutrition and Health, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention

This article was first published on the Science Refutation Platform