A story about smelly salt has gone viral on Chinese social media, earning over 4,000 retweets and over 19,000 comments by concerned netizens. 

Table salt is known to be odorless. Yet after being heated or rubbed between the fingers, a few salt products from companies in central China’s Henan Province were reported having pungent odor akin to "smelly feet," triggering astonishment and outrage, since the products were already sold in several provinces across China.

On April 29, after affecting six provinces, the “smelly feet salt” was found again in central China’s Shaanxi Province, and Shaanxi Salt Industry Management Bureau immediately asked for the removal of the products from the market and started an investigation towards the company in question. 

The problematic table salt products are mostly from the Henan Pingdingshan Shenying Salt Industry Limited Company, and local newspaper Pingdingshan Evening first reported the incident back on March 16. 

The company claimed the smell came from butyric acid, a chemical molecule that is smelly but healthy for human consumption, so they didn’t purify the acid. 

However, a salt industry insider told Chinese Business View that the pungent odor may come from hydrogen sulfide, a colorless, pungent gas impurity that can cause nervous system problems and suffocation at high doses. 

Samples of the questionable salt were sent for testing in several affected provinces. At Jiangxi Salt Industry Quality Supervision and Inspection Station, salt products “Daiyanren” and “Zhongyan” were proved to be disqualified.

Another smelly salt, “Yuying” was tested to contain highly toxic chemical nitrite at a qualified third-party inspection station in east China’s Jiangsu Province.‍

What results in the pungent smell is yet to be officially identified. But netizens have weighed on how they feel about the entire controversy.

“Every household needs salt and it’s the essential element in our cuisine. The company weighs benefits over everything!” @manrebinga commented. 

@rangshigelaijiuzhengshenghuo also commented. “Companies without righteous consciousness should be cleared from the market, so they won’t manipulate prices or fool consumers.” 

Starting this January, the Chinese government ended its state monopoly over the salt industry and started allowing private producers to set prices and sell directly to the market.