China’s appetite for bird nests leads smuggling to take flight

Beijing – With China in the grip of a harsh winter, the demand for edible bird’s nests, a delicacy known for its skin benefits, has soared and led to the rise in its smuggling. Also known as cubilose, edible bird’s nests are among the most expensive animal products consumed by humans with China being the world’s largest consumer. However, the increased appetite has driven smuggling of the rare treat, leading to potential health hazards. In mid-September, customs police in China’s Guangdong Province seized more than 700 kilograms of edible bird’s nests produced in Indonesia, worth over 100 million yuan. If choosing a legal import channel, merchants must pay 17 per cent value-added tax, not including fees for transporting and storage. In order to make more money, merchants usually spray water or brush gelatine on the nests to increase their net weight prior to sale. But the practice can cause microbes to develop in the high-protein nests, which may lead to excessive nitrite that would fail an official health check.
 

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