In China, chefs fed restaurant customers expired anti-diarrhea drugs (2 photos)

Two chefs in China have been given suspended sentences for adding antibiotics to food to prevent diarrhea in restaurant customers. The court found the chefs guilty of producing and selling toxic and harmful food products.





The incident was brought to light after a restaurant employee reported to authorities that some chefs had been adding gentamicin sulfate to food before serving. Police arrived shortly after and found evidence of the drug being used in the kitchen. Tests showed traces of the drug in some of the dishes.

Gentamicin sulfate was once a common treatment for diarrhea in China due to its low cost, but its use in the country is now restricted due to possible side effects, especially for the elderly and children. According to SCMP, the antibiotic can lead to hearing loss and kidney problems.

The chefs admitted that they added the drug to dishes to prevent possible health problems for customers, claiming that the food at their restaurant was "rather unhygienic." In total, since the beginning of last year, they added the substance to more than 1,600 dishes worth a total of about 80,000 yuan.

The court ordered the chefs to pay a fine of 160,000 yuan and issue a public apology in the media. They were also banned from working in the food industry for life. The restaurant where the cooks worked was also fined 1.18 million yuan and had its business license revoked.