China cooking oil scandal sparks a scramble to reassure consumers

HONG KONG -- A scandal over the handling of cooking oil has renewed concerns over food safety in China and cast a harsh spotlight on a major state-owned company.

An undercover report by the state-backed Beijing News alleged that it is an "open secret" that "to save costs," tankers used to transport fuel and chemicals are also used to move cooking oil and syrup without any cleaning. The report, published last week, named state-owned grain company Sinograin as one of those involved in the apparent misbehavior.