“The company’s main goal is to provide a better solution to the problem of poppy shells, which are sold to cooked food stalls and well-known restaurant brands.
The Surge News went to many places from the end of March to mid-May to investigate and found that there is an underground trade in poppy husk in many Chinese herbal medicine distribution areas on the mainland, and that herbal medicine dealers have long been supplying to lo-mei, deli and snack food vendors or stores at prices ranging from 500 to 700 yuan per catty (500 grams per market catty).
There are even well-known hot pot restaurant brands, in terms of the Beijing branch, take at least 500 kilograms of poppy husk each month, and then distributed to various stores. Herbalists revealed that restaurant customers buy poppy shells, they will buy spices such as star anise, cinnamon, grass and fruit, mixed and ground into powder and then shipped.
How common is the invisible supply chain of poppy shells in the restaurant market?
There are also spice sellers who specialize in preparing spices containing poppy powder, selling “secret” barbecue material, lobster material, marinade material, spicy hot pot material and so on online.
Why do vendors want to add poppy powder? The main reason for this is the superstitious belief that adding poppy shells (powder and seeds) to food can enhance the flavor and aroma and make diners addicted.
The report noted that the owner of a brasserie in Hengyang, Hunan Province, claimed that when the stall was set up five years ago, the market had at least eight delicatessen business quite competitive, and then she used large smoke shells for three years business exploded, and currently, operates three stalls selling brasserie, “once about five pounds of poppy shells to buy, 600 yuan per pound, which can be used for three months.”
Surge News investigation found that the city of Anguo, Hebei, Henan Yuzhou, Jiangxi Zhangshu City and other Chinese herbal medicine distribution centers are also widespread underground trade in poppy husk.
The market price of black market transactions, 30 kilograms of poppy husk is divided into two specifications. A kilogram of good quality with seeds is RMB 1,700, and a kilogram without seeds or with few seeds is RMB 1,550. In addition, Chinese herbalists claim to be able to help powder poppy husk for a minimum of RMB 1,000 per kilogram, which requires a cash transaction.
How big is the scourge of the underground trade in poppy husk? It is understood that the poppy is the main raw material for making opium and is a source of many kinds of sedatives. Poppy shells (commonly known as large smoke shells, rice shells) that is, the shells of the poppy fruit after maturation through drying, oval or bottle-shaped oval. Poppy shells contain morphine, codeine, poppies and other alkaloids, although the content is smaller than opium, but long consumption will cause chronic toxic effects on the human liver and heart.
Some studies say that long-term use of soup containing poppy husk or its extracts can cause symptoms such as chills, sweating, weakness, thinness, sleepiness, and cause a loss of concentration and memory function, and in severe cases may cause damage to the nervous system, digestive system, endocrine disorders, and even lead to respiratory arrest and death.
Herbalists revealed that restaurant customers buy poppy husk, they will buy spices such as star anise cinnamon bark grass nuts, mixed and ground into powder and then shipped.
The Chinese herbal medicine distribution centers in many parts of the mainland have underground trade in poppy husk, herbalists have long been supplying to marinades, cooked food, snack vendors or stores at prices ranging from 500 to 700 yuan per catty (500 grams per market catty).
The internet sellers directly set up QQ groups with the words “poppy, big smoke, rice husk” to find buyers and inspect the goods for sale.
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