China probes use of waste oil in drugs

Chinese officials say they are investigating reports of waste cooking oil, dubbed "gutter oil," being used in the manufacture of antibiotics. Pharmaceutical firms have been told to check their suppliers after claims some have used the cheaper reclaimed cooking oil from restaurants instead of the more expensive soybean oil in the production process, the BBC reported Monday. It is not clear whether these antibiotics pose a risk to public health; the government has said it would release the results of its investigation soon. The incident is the latest in several food safety scandals, the BBC said, including one in September that resulted in the arrest of 32 people charged in the sale of gutter oil as cooking oil. One hundred tons of oil produced by six underground factories was seized in raids across 14 provinces after a police investigation lasting several months.