[Video] 'Sticky' Crushed Red Pepper on Bare Feet... Food Hygiene Controversy at Chinese Seasoning Factory

Making Sauce Without Hygiene Equipment Like Masks and Boots
Hygiene Controversy Over Chinese Ingredients Including 'Naked Baechu'

Inside a Chinese food factory where chili powder is made by stepping on it barefoot / Photo by Internet Community Capture

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Juhyung] A video showing a female employee making seasoning paste barefoot at what appears to be a chili powder factory in China has caused shock. Especially amid the COVID-19 situation, the employee is not wearing sanitary gloves or a mask, raising concerns not only about unsanitary conditions but also the potential spread of COVID-19 through the distribution of this chili powder.

On the 21st (local time), a video filmed inside a food factory was posted on Chinese social networking services (SNS), sparking outrage among local netizens. In the video, a woman is seen stepping on chili powder barefoot to make seasoning paste. Despite being inside a food factory, the woman is not wearing any sanitary equipment such as a headscarf, mask, or boots.

Inside a Chinese food factory where chili powder is made by stepping on it barefoot / Photo by Internet Community Capture

The video is known to have first been shared on 'TikTok,' a Chinese video streaming sharing application. However, it is not known where the factory in the video is located or whether the seasoning paste produced there is imported into Korea.

Netizens who watched the video expressed outrage, saying things like, "Are we supposed to eat and die?" "How can anyone eat food made with such ingredients?" and "We need to find out what kind of seasoning is being made and whether it is imported domestically, then ban it."

Controversy arose after the Chinese 'pit burial' method of pickling napa cabbage became known. / Photo by Internet Community Capture

This is not the first time hygiene issues with Chinese food ingredients have surfaced. In March, concerns about Chinese cabbage grew after a so-called 'naked cabbage' video spread.

The video showed a huge pond made by covering with plastic, filled with saltwater and cabbage, being pickled in large quantities using a rusty excavator. During the process, a shirtless man jumped directly into the pond and stirred between the cabbages.

A so-called 'Barefoot Mixed Grains' video uploaded on a Chinese YouTube channel that sparked public outrage / Photo by YouTube capture

This method of pickling cabbage is reported to have been carried out several times in the past in China.

According to Chinese local media such as 'Bandoshinbo,' in 2014, tens of tons of cabbage were found fermenting in a pit in the suburbs of Northeast China and were caught by food authorities. However, the pit burial method of pickling cabbage is currently illegal and banned.

A month later, in April, controversy arose when a video showing a worker mixing grains at a large market in Guangdong, China, was posted on YouTube. In the video, a man scatters various grains on the ground and walks barefoot while mixing the grains. The grains mixed by the worker are reported to be ingredients used in the Chinese dish 'Palbojuk' (Eight Treasure Porridge).