Food safety administration staffs inspect a restaurant in Ningbo, Zhejiang province, on Nov 10, 2014. [Photo/Xinhua]

THREE BEIJING franchises of the Han Li Xuan Korean barbecue chain were found to be using duck meat for what they claimed was geese, pork, and corned beef. The food and drug authorities in Beijing ordered the three restaurants to stop operations and have sent a request to the related provincial administrations to check the details of the meat supply companies before proceeding further with their investigation. The Legal Evening News commented on Monday:

It is not the first time that the Han Li Xuan brand has been embroiled in such a scandal about its meat. In December 2016, in one of its outlets in Changsha, the secret of its special cuisine of corned beef was uncovered as being duck. And the restaurant staff expressed their "pride" at being able to fool customers for so long.

The company which has more than 200 franchise restaurants across the country seems not to have learned any lessons from that scandal, as the three outlets have been exposed for using the same practice just a month later.

The food scandals exposed in recent years have severely damaged the confidence of people in the domestic food market. Food safety can only be guaranteed through strong law enforcement and strict supervision throughout the food chain.

Enterprises need to be made aware of the bottom line.

Business morality will only return to the market when the food safety laws are executed to the letter and those responsible for inspection and investigation fulfill their duties.