For some, chopsticks can be quite tough to handle, but for many it represents a great way of eating a delicious Chinese dish. However, experts have warned that many cheap chopsticks available in the market can have terrible toxins.
Actor Huang Bo, revealed on his micro blogging site on on March 17, 2013, that when he tried to wash a pair of chopsticks which were provided to him at a restaurant, he was shocked to see that the water had turned yellow and also gave off a pungent smell. Huang on his blog wrote, “Stop using disposable chopsticks, it is not about saving the environment anymore, it is about saving your own life”.
The message was forwarded about 125,000 times, people had also started asking Huang to reveal the name of the restaurant that he went to. On the other hand, the actor said that the chopsticks were not just provided at one restaurant, but at many others also. In the year 2010, China had adopted a national standard on disposable chopsticks. It also included specific criteria on the additional chemical agents and also the amount which is allowable to produce chopsticks.
It remains to be seen if a regulatory practice would be put in place so that chopsticks are checked for contamination beforehand.
