Video showing how surimi crab sticks are really made goes viral

Crab stick fans, look away now. 

A video revealing how the popular seafood snacks are made has gone viral after many were stunned by the industrial processes on show. 

The viral clip, shot at the world’s biggest crab stick factory in Thailand and shared by Korean YouTube channel Food Kingdom, shows the method in detail and begins with workers loading frozen blocks of fish meat into a large machine to be shredded. 

The resulting slurry is moved through another machine where large amounts of seasoning are added, along with egg whites, vegetable oil and ice cubes. 

The mixture is then processed into a gooey sludge before it is extruded into long noodles and then cut up. 

The video claims that the factory 40,000 tons of the crab sticks every year. 

Despite the video claiming that: “Surimi crab sticks are hygienically made using pure tender meat and natural pigment,” many who viewed a short clip on Reddit said they were put off by what they saw. 

“For a moment I thought they were making tile adhesive,” said one confused viewer. 

“Up to this moment I thought I was eating actual meat,” said a disgruntled former crab stick lover. 

“I will never purchase this ever again!” one outraged user commented. “Thank you for opening my eyes!” 

“I always thought this stuff was disgusting, now I KNOW it is,” one said. 

“No crabs were harmed in the making of this video,” another joked. 

Others said they were reassured by the video. 

“Knowing this is made from actual fish meat and not some synthetic goo creation makes me feel a lot better actually,” one person wrote. 

Some expressed shock that others were surprised at what they saw and suggested they not look too deeply into how other popular processed treats, such as hot dogs and nuggets, are made. 

This article was first published by the NZ Herald and is republished here with permission.