China's Gutter Oil Scandal: 1/10 Of China's Cooking Oil May Be Recycled From Garbage

A woman at a food stall waits for customers as a construction worker rests out front along a street in central Beijing. REUTERS/David Gray

Disgusting food news from China just won’t stop. A video from Radio Free Asia that has surfaced on line details the illegal production and sale of “gutter oil,” which is made from -- prepare yourself -- garbage.

China’s streets are lined with food stalls and small restaurants, some of which would buy cheap, black market oil made from processing garbage that contains oil or animal parts. The oil is then sold at below-market rates to street vendors that use it to cook food that may taste delicious but could make you extremely sick, according to the Washington Post.

The practice is not new, and while the government has banned gutter oil, it has not been able to eradicate the practice, the Atlantic reported today. Last year, there was a report on oil being made from slaughter house scraps.

Chinese experts estimate about a tenth of China’s cooking oil is gutter oil, according to the documentary.

Watch the short documentary below: