Two arrested for adding poppy seeds to dishes in restaurant in China

Beijing: Two managers of a restaurant in central China have been arrested by police on suspicion of adding poppy seeds in dishes for improving taste.

According to the Procuratorate of Hanyang District, the local food and drug administration detected main ingredients of poppy seeds including papaverine and narcotine from dishes of the restaurant in Hubei province during routine tests in March.

The two managers of this restaurant allegedly added poppy seeds to dressings of its stewed pots for the purpose of improving taste of dishes and keeping customers coming back for more, state-run Xinhua news agency reported.

Adding poppy seeds containing morphine to food is prohibited by law.

Doctors say they contain only a small amount of alkaloid, but long-term consumption will lead to addiction, damage to the nervous system and induce chronic intoxication.