Recently, the topic of “chaotic marinating of meat in hotpot restaurants in mainland China” and “marinated meat containing over 20 kinds of additives” continues to ferment on social media platforms, sparking discussions among the public on food safety, freshness of ingredients, and healthy eating. It has been reported that in Chongqing, the secondary processing of meat dishes in some hotpot restaurants is not transparent, with employees claiming that the seasoning additives are considered “commercial secrets.”
With the weather gradually turning cold in mainland China, the hotpot market has entered its peak consumption season. However, Chinese media reports that in the past two years, a trend of “heavy flavor” is quietly changing the landscape of hotpot ingredients—many hotpot restaurants are now focusing on various marinated meat products.
A recent report by “Xin Huanghe” revealed that the ingredient lists of many hotpot restaurants’ “marinated beef and lamb” are complex, containing as few as seven or eight types of food additives, or as many as over twenty, including preservatives, thickeners, sweeteners, colorants, and more, making it difficult for consumers to distinguish between good and bad. Some restaurants also add water to the meat for tenderizing purposes, but claim it to be originally cut meat. Multiple wholesalers have stated that the marinated meat products in many hotpot restaurants are supplied by them, with a focus on “large quantities at low prices,” resulting in higher profit margins compared to raw cuts of meat.
The report mentioned that upon investigation, it was found that many marinated meat products in hotpot restaurants are either pre-made at central kitchens or directly purchased from wholesale markets, with unclear sources of ingredients. Mr. Zhang, an industry insider who has been supplying meat to hotpot restaurants for over twenty years, revealed that many hotpot restaurants sell a mix of good and poor quality beef and lamb, blending fresh raw cuts with a significant portion of “processed meat,” but without clear labeling, which has become an open secret in the hotpot industry.
The owner of a wholesale store in the urban area of Fuzhou City, Fujian Province, mentioned that some beef and lamb rolls on the market are claimed to be originally cut, but in reality, they may have been processed with additives. He stated, “The cost of beef and lamb is too high now. If you want to open a hotpot restaurant, you have to choose this kind of price. It’s hard to tell the difference without careful inspection, especially in some Sichuan and Chongqing hotpot restaurants where everything tastes the same when cooked in spicy broth.”
As the “capital of hotpot,” Chongqing had approximately 18,900 hotpot-related enterprises and nearly 40,000 hotpot stores by 2024, with the entire industry chain exceeding a value of 340 billion yuan.
According to a report by Cover News, from December 24 to 25, visits were made to over ten hotpot restaurants of varying sizes in the Liangjiang New Area of Chongqing, investigating the production process of meat dishes in Chongqing hotpots.
The investigation revealed that many meat dishes in hotpot restaurants required varying degrees of secondary processing by the establishments, such as tenderized meat slices, tender beef, meatballs, and more.
Although the restaurants claimed to only conduct “simple seasoning processing,” a secret formula for making tender meat slices labeled “Mix Powder 1 + Mix Powder 2 + Water…” was found on the freezer door in the back kitchen of a hotpot restaurant named “Kong Er Hotpot.” The vague labeling raised suspicions among investigators.
When asked about the nature of “Mix Powder 1” and “Mix Powder 2,” a staff member at “Kong Er Hotpot” refused to disclose, citing it as a “commercial secret.” Subsequently, the staff member escorted the Cover News reporter out of the back kitchen.
During the visits, many consumers expressed a strong desire for transparency in the processing of hotpot ingredients, hoping that businesses would disclose more processing details.
“While the restaurants claim to use fresh ingredients and cook on the spot, seeing transparency will provide true peace of mind,” said Mr. Zhang, a resident. Consumers are unaware of the “secret” ingredients and specific processes of secondary processing in the kitchens, making them unsure if other additives were used and how much.
A well-known local food connoisseur in Chongqing, Sima Qingshan, emphasized that the key to food additives lies in transparency, legality, and appropriate quantity.
In Sima’s view, consumers often overlook the misuse, overuse, illegal addition, and lack of transparency of additives. Consumers have no knowledge of the types of technological additives used in the kitchen, leading to persistent doubts about what they are consuming.
According to industry insiders, in hotpot restaurants, from frozen beef and lamb rolls to ready-to-eat fish slices and shrimp paste, the majority of ingredients have undergone pre-processing in factories, containing additives such as thickeners, carrageenan, nitrites, and more.
“These are not secrets; the problem lies in consumers being completely unaware,” Sima Qingshan explained. In the hotpot industry, cases of ingredients like hagfish and shrimp containing excessive thickeners being investigated are the most common, showing that there have been enforcement precedents, but the coverage is still inadequate.
Apart from the hotpot industry, Sima Qingshan also stated that there is an urgent need to establish more open and transparent processing standards that should encompass the entire food and beverage industry. “All restaurants, regardless of size, should be required to prominently display on their menus or in-store the names of food additives used in each dish and their approximate quantities. Just like pre-packaged food labels, this allows consumers to have the right to information and choice.”