Thirty five restaurants across China have been busted using opium poppies to illegally season dishes, authorities say.
Food and Drug Administration officials said on Friday five restaurants were currently being prosecuted.
Another 30 ranging from Shanghai dumpling joints to noodle shops in southwestern Chongqing and a popular Beijing hot pot chain, were under investigation.
Cases of cooks sprinkling ground poppy powder, which contains low amounts of opiates like morphine and codeine, in soup and seafood are not new in China, though it is unclear whether they can hook a customer or deliver a noticeable buzz.
Shaanxi Province police busted a noodle seller in 2014 after being tipped off by a failed drug test.
Seven restaurants were closed in Ningxia Province in 2012 for using the additive and Guizhou Province shut down 215 restaurants in 2004.
