China's problem with fake goods even includes the condiments and seasonings that people sprinkle on their food.

Authorities in northern China say they have busted
several underground factories that were churning
out counterfeit versions of products like soy sauce
and spice mix.
The fake goods were being made in a district of the
industrial hub Tianjin and passed off as real brands
owned by major companies.
Police acted after an investigative report from
state-run newspaper Beijing News exposed the
problem. The article reported that the fake food
items were being produced on a large scale, using
dirty tap water, industrial salt unfit for human
consumption and recycled spices bought at
knockdown prices from other factories.
The newspaper estimated that around 50 family-
run factories had been making fake condiments
and seasonings for as long as a decade, producing
up to 100 million yuan ($14 million) of them every
year. Materials were often stored in the open next
to rubbish dumps, it reported.
Related: The 'fakes' industry is worth $461 billion
Thomasloaded wasn't able to independently confirm the
details of the Beijing News report. Local
government officials in Tianjin didn't immediately
respond to requests seeking further comment.
China's Food and Drug Administration said in a
statement that it had ordered an investigation of
the claims.
"Local food and drug regulatory authorities should
seriously investigate and rectify counterfeit and
shoddy food products," the statement said.
Nestle, which owns several of the brands that were
reportedly being copied, said it condemns "any
illegal counterfeiting of food and beverage
products."
"We are working closely with the authorities to
identify and take action against counterfeiters in
order to protect consumers," company
spokeswoman Liu Ying said.
Another big food firm, Lee Kum Kee, urged
consumers to buy seasoning products through
established channels like supermarkets. It said that
from past experience, most counterfeit products
are "sold to small or medium sized street vendors
or wholesale markets."
Other major companies whose products the Beijing
News says were being ripped off including Knorr
and Wang Shou Yi didn't respond to requests
for comment Wednesday.
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screenings, fake sales
According to the Beijing News, the counterfeiting
operation in a residential area of Tianjin was large
and sophisticated. The dozens of factories each
had dozens of employees, with surveillance
cameras and spotters stationed outside to warn of
any potential inspection by the authorities.
The newspaper said it was tipped off to the
operation by a whistleblower, after which reporters
accompanied anti-counterfeiting officers on a raid
of one of the workshops.
China has been plagued by food safety problems
in recent years.
Almost half of Chinese food-processing plants fail
to meet internationally acceptable standards,
according to a 2015 report . Last year, hundreds of
tons of smuggled frozen meat , including one batch
from the 1970s, were seized in Hunan province.
In December, the Chinese Food and Drug
Administration said it had conducted 15 million
inspections in the first three quarters of 2016,
during which more than 500,000 incidents of illegal
behavior were found.