Hong Kong ( CNN ) -- In the latest stomach-churning food scandal to hit China , authorities have seized over 30,000 tons of chicken feet contaminated with hydrogen peroxide , according to state media . Thirty eight people have been arrested on charges of producing the tainted items , while 11 suspects remain at large . Images on Chinese news websites show large troughs filled with chicken feet soaking in what authorities say is hydrogen peroxide , a colorless chemical compound used for sterilization and bleaching . The chemical , which causes vomiting and other stomach problems if consumed , may have been used to give the chicken feet a whiter , cleaner appearance . A report by official news agency Xinhua said the tainted items were first discovered in Yongjia County in Zhejiang , eastern China . A subsequent investigation revealed hydrogen peroxide was being used in nine factories in Jiangsu , Anhui , Henan , and Guangdong , affecting several well-known brands of chicken feet sold in stores . ' I want to throw up ' Chinese internet users are reacting with disdain and frustration . A top-rated comment on a microblog run by state television CCTV asks : `` Are there any Chinese foods left that are safe ? '' Another fumes : `` From now on , do n't tell us what we ca n't eat — please tell us what we can eat ! '' One commenter says : `` Yesterday I ate a lot of these , now I want to throw up . '' Chicken feet are popular in China , where they are often available as a packaged snack . However , this is not the first time the item has found itself at the center of a safety scare . In July 2013 , police confiscated 20 tons of badly expired chicken feet from a frozen meat warehouse — some of the feet were reportedly 46 years old .
Police have seized over 100 cases of frozen chicken feet . Chicken feet are a popular snack in China . Hydrogen peroxide is used as a disinfectant and bleach , but is harmful to eat .