Coloring agent used to hide discoloration of stem lettuce... Food safety is on the cutting board again

It has been revealed that vegetable distributors in China are dyeing stem lettuce, known as 'gungchae', with coloring to make it look fresh.

Controversy over food safety arose again in China after it was recently revealed that purchasers attempted to maintain freshness of cabbage by soaking it in a solution of formaldehyde, a carcinogen.

According to Chinese media such as China's Shangguan Newspaper and Hong Kong's Chengdu Daily on the 7th, authorities announced that six distributors in Yuzhong County, Lanzhou City, Gansu Province, northwest China, were confirmed to have illegally used coloring agents in the process of purchasing stem lettuce.

Yuzhong County authorities began a thorough inspection of 53 businesses in the province after a Chinese blogger released a video saying they were suspected of making so-called “dyed lettuce.” After the authorities conducted an on-site inspection, all of the stem lettuce in question was discarded.

This blogger reported to local media that after visiting 13 vegetable warehouses in Yuzhong County, he was able to see stem lettuce being dipped in an unidentified green liquid in more than half of them.

Products labeled as complex food additives and complex colorants were also found at the site.

It is presumed that this was done to cover up discoloration that occurred during the storage of harvested vegetables.

The use of food additive colors in fresh vegetables is prohibited in China. Even for foods that are permitted to be used, the amount used is strictly limited.

Last month, in China's Hebei Province, it was confirmed that some cabbage buyers were soaking cabbage in a formaldehyde solution to maintain freshness for an additional 2 to 3 days during long-distance transportation, causing a stir.

This also became known after a Chinese blogger exposed it through a video.

The video showed workers picking up cabbages one by one before loading them onto a truck, dipping the roots into a basin filled with a liquid presumed to be formaldehyde, and then taking them out.

As the repercussions grew, Chinese authorities ordered each local government to conduct special inspections on fresh agricultural products and strictly crack down on the use of illegal preservatives.