Chinese people refused to believe the explanations given by the local government.
Chinese authorities, investigating a strange object found in a school meal, have concluded that it was the head of a rat, according to CNN. This is the latest twist to a food safety scandal that gripped the nation for weeks. Officials had earlier said that it was duck neck, but the latest announcement overturns any previous statements. The food scandal started on June 1 when a student at the Jiangxi Industry Polytechnic College discovered something weird in his dish at the school canteen, as per the CNN report.
The students posted the video of the strange object on Chinese social media platforms where it went viral. It showed him picking up the dark, hairy object with his chopsticks and complaining to the canteen staff that he found a rat's head.
"This is duck meat," a female staffer is quoted as saying by the news outlet.
But the student turned around the object to reveal the tiny white pieces and asking the staffer, "Isn't this rat's teeth?"
"This is duck meat, duck meat. How could there be teeth in duck meat?" the staffer told the student, as per the outlet.
Food safety is a major concern in China, so this short clip created a huge stir in the country. Some users also targeted Chinese local governments, who have unsuccessfully tried to cover up negative news. In the past, contaminated baby milk powder and scandal involving recycled oil mixed with sewage or food waste made headlines across the country.
In Jinagxi incident, the college administration issued a statement on June 3 claiming the object shown in the video was not a rat's head, but a piece of duck neck, which is a popular delicacy in China.
Food inspectors and other local officials were also sent to the polytechnic college and they too claimed that the object was a duck head.
Even the student who found it in his food was made to issue a "clarification" video in which he retracted his claim.
But people refused to believe and soon started posting memes slamming the local government action. So, on June 10 the Jinagxi government announced it had launched a provincial-level probe into the incident, with a task force joined by officials from education, public security and market supervision authorities.
A week later, these officials concluded that local officials did not investigate "diligently" and animal experts ruled it was the head of a rat, as per the CNN report.
The provincial government then revoked the license of the canteen and fined the company that operates it.