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Hair-Made Soy Sauce: An Update
Status: Gross news
Back in January 2004 I posted a short entry about a factory in China that had been caught making soy sauce out of human hair. I also mentioned the incident in Hippo Eats Dwarf (p.76). Now more gruesome details have emerged, published in the Internet Journal of Toxicology (link via Boing Boing): In late 2003, there was an alternatively produced soy sauce named "Hongshuai Soy Sauce" in China. The soy sauce was marketed as “blended using latest bioengineering technology” by a food seasoning manufacturer, suggesting that the soy sauce was not generated in a traditional way using soy and wheat. The Hongshuai Soy Sauce was sold at a relatively low price in Mainland China and became very popular among the public. The people found its taste to be similar to other brands. Because of its low price, many catering services in schools and colleges decided to use this new product.
An investigation led by TV journalists then revealed why the soy sauce was so cheap. It was being manufactured from an amino acid powder (or syrup) bought from a manufacturer in Hubei province: When asking how the amino acid syrup (or powder) was generated, the manufacturer replied that the powder was generated from human hair. Because the human hair was gathered from salon, barbershop and hospitals around the country, it was unhygienic and mixed with condom, used hospital cottons, used menstrual cycle pad, used syringe, etc. After filtered by the workers, the hair would then cut small for being processed into amino acid syrup. The technicians admitted that they would not consume the human-hair soy sauce because the dirty and unhygienic hair was used to make amino acid syrup. A quality monitoring staff also revealed that though the hair may not be toxic itself, it definitely consisted of bacteria and other micro-organisms.
Lovely. But what the article doesn't mention, but which I believe to be true, is that soy sauce isn't the only food product made out of this cheap hair-made amino acid powder. The stuff is also sold in large quantities to the bakery industry which uses it as a source of L-cysteine to make dough softer and more elastic. Think about that next time you're chewing on a bagel.
Listed in chronological order. Newest comments at the end.
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"Because the human hair was gathered from salon, barbershop and hospitals around the country, it was unhygienic and mixed with condom, used hospital cottons, used menstrual cycle pad, used syringe, etc."
I thought that the trash from hospitals was incinerated? Anyway, is there really that much hair in it? I would think that the biggest mass of it is used bandages, tissues, rubber gloves, tubes, and other single-use instruments, and of course lots of empty drug packs. Oh, by the way, why would hairdressers and doctors use so many condoms?
Posted by Christophe Thill on Fri Jul 28, 2006 at 12:20 AM
I thought that the trash from hospitals was incinerated? Anyway, is there really that much hair in it? I would think that the biggest mass of it is used bandages, tissues, rubber gloves, tubes, and other single-use instruments, and of course lots of empty drug packs. Oh, by the way, why would hairdressers and doctors use so many condoms?
There would be hair in it, probably from shaving patients for surgery.
Posted by Soldant on Fri Jul 28, 2006 at 01:30 AM
"The stuff is also sold in large quantities to the bakery industry which uses it as a source of L-cysteine to make dough softer and more elastic. Think about that next time you're chewing on a bagel."
Thanks a lot, Alex. I was just eating a bagel when I read that!
Posted by Sakano in Ohio on Fri Jul 28, 2006 at 03:56 AM
Thanks a lot, Alex. I was just eating a bagel when I read that!
Most Top Ramen and other Asian noodles have the human hair stuff in it. No big surprise here.
Posted by Sheldon in Austin, Texas on Fri Jul 28, 2006 at 05:39 AM
Soylent green, anybody?
Posted by james in oakville ontario on Fri Jul 28, 2006 at 06:14 PM
Glad I read this, I was about to donate my hair to some kid with cancer, but now I can sell it for food use and host a not-so-scary-yet-still-nasty hannible lecter dinner party.
Posted by Lonewatchman on Fri Jul 28, 2006 at 07:30 PM
Wow, they're not only making "soy" sauce out of hair, they're making it from *dirty* hair.
Blech.
Posted by Big Gary in Marfa, Texas on Sun Jul 30, 2006 at 09:54 AM
Blech.
luckily i did not pour the soy sauce into my porriage!!as i was:sick:
lucky me
Posted by Andy in Marfa, Texas on Mon Sep 04, 2006 at 03:20 AM
lucky me
i hope this is not true with all bagels ilove bagels! 
Posted by isaiah on Tue Oct 03, 2006 at 12:59 PM
I was eating some dim sims with soy sauce when I read this soy sauce on Wikipedia. I googled it and came up with this site. I feel truly, truly ill.
Posted by Georgie Porgie in Melbourne, Australia on Tue Oct 31, 2006 at 06:51 PM
I’ve taken a quick look at your postings, which are very interesting. Lots of material and ideas! Congrats on being so focused!
Posted by Jones Tacker in USA on Tue Nov 07, 2006 at 05:13 AM
Ewww I heard soy sauce as made out of rats and human hair? is dat true...because i heard canada isnt accepting soy sauces anymore but they still sell them in chinese restaurants or in like grocery stores but some of the markets and stores have stopped from distributing them out....:S eww..I feel disgusted because I eat a lot of soy sauce...now I think I'm going to be sick
Posted by Tina in Vancouver on Sun Nov 26, 2006 at 07:26 PM
Orrible
Posted by Arabias on Thu Jan 18, 2007 at 09:49 AM
It seems that ATY Lee is not all he seems. The original article in the Internet Journal of Toxicology ( vol2 No 1) has been withdrawn by the publisher.
Why? Don't know. However, whether its true or not is arguable. Recetly in Austraiua there has been discussion of garlic from China gorown it is alleged on human sewage, bleached, treated with growth suppressants etc. We import 90,000 TONNES a year. What the USa imports is way more. I'd say buy local and buy local soy sauce.
Bill
Posted by renew on Tue May 22, 2007 at 05:19 AM
Why? Don't know. However, whether its true or not is arguable. Recetly in Austraiua there has been discussion of garlic from China gorown it is alleged on human sewage, bleached, treated with growth suppressants etc. We import 90,000 TONNES a year. What the USa imports is way more. I'd say buy local and buy local soy sauce.
Bill
I eat soy sauce on my tofu hotdogs and its delicious regardless of what its made from.
Posted by Hairornohairilovesoy in Boca Raton, Florida on Mon Mar 17, 2008 at 09:08 PM
And I though El Cheapo Soy Sauce was cheap...of course though, that's just the ironic nickname.
Posted by El Cheapo Soy Sauce in Dubai on Fri Apr 04, 2008 at 12:05 AM
Oh! My God. horrible......
Posted by joey in thailand on Sun Nov 23, 2008 at 10:24 PM
Thanks a lot, Alex. I was just eating a bagel when I read thatdiet.
Posted by salvo on Wed Oct 21, 2009 at 12:46 PM
Wow, they're not only making "soy" sauce out of hair, they're making it from *dirty* hair.
Blech diet.
Posted by salavador in kursad on Wed Oct 21, 2009 at 12:48 PM
Blech diet.
Lea! I’m ready to worship you!
Really, where did you learn that stuff?
Thanks so much
Posted by karanlik in Turkey on Sun Oct 25, 2009 at 03:03 AM
Really, where did you learn that stuff?
Thanks so much
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