Guinness chides Yangzhou for wasting food
The Guinness record for the world's largest portion of fried rice, set on Friday in Yangzhou, Jiangsu Province, was declared invalid after a large amount of the rice was used as pig feed.
"Guinness World Records has strict regulations on large quantities of food, stipulating that food used for setting a record must be edible for humans, and there should be no waste of food," Guinness World Records Ltd said in a statement published on its official Sina microblog, adding that the organization would turn down any applications that involve a waste of resources.
The rebuke came after the China Cuisine Association organized 300 cooks to concoct 4.19 tons of Yangzhou fried rice in Yangzhou on Friday. Public debate began when media reports later revealed that a portion of the food has been sent to a pig farm.
Chinese cities and companies have been involved in applications for various kinds of Guinness World Records in recent years.
In 2007, a new world record was set in Chongqing when over 13,000 people ate food from 2,249 hot pots at the same time. Cooks in Shanghai prepared the world's largest mooncake, weighing nearly 2.5 tons, in 2013.
"Applying for the Guinness World Records is seen by Chinese as a way to express a sense of pride. Craving for grandiose things to impress others is a typical national characteristic of Chinese people. Guinness offers individuals and organizations a chance to express themselves," Shi Changkui, a sociology expert at the Beijing Academy of Social Science, told the Global Times on Monday.
As a rising world power with a growing economy, public expectations in Chinese society run high for more world recognition, said Shi, adding that the Guinness World Records can serve as a platform to boost national confidence.
"The Guinness records are also considered a good way for businesses promotion," He Hui, a professor at Beijing Foreign Studies University, told the Global Times.
It has become a growing trend for businesses to expand their market in China with the help of Guinness, which enjoys a global impact, Luo Wen, president of Guinness Greater China, told Oriental Outlook Weekly magazine.
The magazine added that the nation's growth rate of applicants for new records topped the world in 2013.
A number of records in China are related to business activities, according to the Guinness World Records' official website.
For example, Mengniu Dairy Company Limited, a leading company manufacturing dairy products in China, set a Guinness Record for "the largest amount of people tasting yogurt" in 2014.
"The event has promoted our brand's influence and image, which made a deep impression on our customers," Song Jidong, a manager at the company, was quoted as saying on the Guinness website.
