31 Oct, 2008 - A maggot infestation in citrus fruit has become the latest example of a food safety cover up by officials in China.
Authorities in the south-western province of Sichuan hid an epidemic of maggots in mandarin oranges for more than a month, Chinese state media revealed today.
Safety officials in the city of Guangyuan knew of the problem on 23 September but news only leaked out last week after mobile phone text messages were sent to raise the alarm nationally.
The authorities in Sichuan were informed in September that fruit on tens of thousands of mandarin trees were riddled maggots but they failed to inform the public. An official state news conference about the issue was not held until last week.
In the meantime, the fruit continued to be sold across the country.
State-run CCTV broadcast last week that mandarins in some provinces were safe to eat but failed to mention the maggot outbreak in Sichuan.
The latest reports follow cover ups of both melamine contaminated milk powder and eggs in recent weeks.