Thanks to a study published last year, you probably know by now that food addiction is actually a thing. Of course, it's one thing to like the food in a certain establishment. But consumers in China may have already discovered why they ABSOLUTELY loved the soup and seafood platters in several restaurants.
Following the recall of an opium-laced cough syrup that's manufactured in China, five restaurants near Beijing are currently facing criminal charges and another 30 will be going through intense investigations for allegedly seasoning their dishes with opium.
For the benefit of those who don't know, opium is a highly addictive narcotic drug. This means that you do not have to use it many times to get addicted. It is also the key ingredient in heroin and morphine, and has many long and short-term effects that are potentially harmful to the body. Common effects include reduced anxiety, relaxation, euphoria, impaired vision, sense of emotional detachment, lack of focus or concentration, coma, and even death.
Huda, one of the larger restaurant chains in China, was found using ground opium poppy flower at, not just one, but many locations. It is still uncertain, however, if these restaurants are trying to get consumers addicted to their food, or just simply adding more flavor to their dishes.
The uproar regarding this controversy started sometime in 2014, after one restaurant owners was caught using opium on his dishes to actually get his customers addicted.
This revelation, by far, is the latest high-profile problem concerning the Chinese food industry. The country was also involved in a milk scare last 2008, which left four children dead and a ban on their milk products in a number of countries. In 2014, a Shanghai-based supplier used rotten meat in some of the country's most well-known fast food chains, including McDonald's.
