Fujian's Zhangzhou investigates bullfrog products for excessive antibiotics

Local market regulators in Zhangzhou, East China's Fujian province, launched an investigation on Monday following media reports of alleged excessive antibiotic levels in bullfrog products.

The market regulation bureau in Zhangzhou said it had established an investigative team immediately after learning that multiple enterprises across the country, including one based in the city's Dongshan county, were involved in buying and selling the contaminated products.

Law enforcement officers have sealed off the implicated bullfrog products and collected samples for laboratory testing. Further actions will be taken based on the test results, the bureau said.

In response to the safety concerns, the county has also launched a region-wide campaign to check local markets and safeguard consumers' rights, it added.

The probe was triggered by a recent investigative report by The Paper. Partnering with a public welfare group, the media outlet said it tested e-commerce samples and conducted field tracking across multiple regions, including Fujian, Guangdong, and Jiangsu provinces.

The outlet said its investigation revealed that some samples exceeded antibiotic limits by five times, while others contained furazolidone, a banned veterinary drug.

According to a bullfrog industry report released in 2025, China's national bullfrog aquaculture production reached approximately 600,000 metric tons in 2025. That year, the sector supported more than 40,000 specialized restaurants, generating an annual output value of about 48 billion yuan ($7.1 billion).

Data shows that from 2015 to 2024, the growth rate of bullfrog production skyrocketed by 317.65 percent, far outpacing other aquaculture sectors, according to the report.