Greg writes:
Found this online - warning about fake chicken eggs, but it seems that eggs are too inexpensive to generate a profit by faking.
Absolutely right. This email hoax about Chinese food counterfeiters mass producing fake eggs has been circulating for a number of years. There are posts debunking it on
Boing Boing (2006),
Consumerist (2007), and
Hoax-Slayer (2007).
What I find to be the most illogical part of the fake egg story is the claim that the counterfeiters are going through an elaborate process to make the inside of the egg look real (i.e. the egg yolk and white). But really, why bother? The shell is all that the consumer would see when buying the egg, so isn't that the only part a counterfeiter would care about?
Comments
Yes I agree that reason can be shortage but counterfeiters should not take this wrong way.It will really create a negative effect on china public.
1. Perfecting their biological counterfeiting technology.
2. Gauging the gullibility of the Western media and public.
3. Establishing a profile as "incompetent", thus avoiding future close scrutiny.
In order to fulfill their grand master plan, of counterfeiting major world leaders and assuming planetary control.
That lazy authors simply copy bits off the internet rather than do proper research is bad enough; that publishers' editors let this stuff by is unforgivable.
10fen=1mao
10mao=1yuan
6.9yuan=1USD
real eggs cost 6-7 mao a piece (5yuan for a dozen)
fake eggs cost around 4 fen to make, according to chinese news reports
real eggs cost about 2 mao.
so for a cracker peasant in the hinterhills of china, that 2mao profit is big stuff 😉
http://www.tudou.com/programs/view/ICuYXDoZYU0/
Just because some website says "oh, we have debunked this" does not make that true. All the websites I have seen debunking the fake eggs say that "the
The eggs are easy and cheap to make, a Japanese reporter easily made them on on TV. If a peasant has the choice to work longs hours, for low wages, and in dangerous conditions, OR to make fake eggs, work LESS hours and make MORE money, why wouldn't he make fake eggs?
Something that many people that haven't lived in China don't realize, is that labor in China is cheap! If a person works all day, and makes just a couple dollars, that is considered good (some don't make 1 dollar). Also, there are 1.5 billion people in China, so there are many potential customers and people WILL buy your product.
There is no question that these CAN be made, the question is (for hoax websites), will people do this and will people buy it. Well, if it can make any amount of money, then some Chinese WILL do it. And if it looks kinda real, then people WILL buy it. Really, I think that should answer your question right there. People try to make fake versions of everything in China (oil from feces, for instance).