Rat meat sold as lamb in Shanghai could have been eaten by tourists

Chinese authorities have revealed that a gang of traders has been arrested for buying rat, fox and mink flesh and selling it as mutton.

In a public statement, the Ministry of Public Security said 63 people were caught and accused of buying the meat and dousing it in gelatine, red pigment and nitrates to be sold as lamb in popular tourist spot Shanghai and Jiangsu Province.

The meat is said to have been sold for about £644,000 at markets in the areas.

According to the New York Times, China's Prime Minister Li Keqiang has said that improving food safety is a priority.

Over the past three months, 904 people have been arrested in the country for "meat-related offences," The Guardian reports.

In April, an outbreak of bird flu spread in China, putting people off poultry.

And in March, more than 900 rotting pigs were found floating in Shanghai's Huangpu River.

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