South Korea inspects imported Chinese cabbage over preservative concerns
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South Korea initiated tightened inspections of imported Chinese napa cabbage after a food safety scandal in China’s Hebei province revealed that formaldehyde, a known carcinogen, was illegally used to preserve produce during transport. The issue surfaced following a viral video by a blogger that prompted Chinese authorities to confirm the practice and launch nationwide vegetable inspections. South Korea, which relies on China for 99.9 percent of its 194,400 tonnes of imported kimchi, began testing eight batches of cabbage and existing domestic market products for contamination. Meanwhile, Taiwan confirmed it does not import cabbage from China and verified that no kimchi containing the tainted produce was imported from South Korea.
Consequences
South Korean food safety authorities will likely continue rigorous testing of both imported raw napa cabbage and existing kimchi products to ensure public safety. Regional trade partners may maintain heightened scrutiny of Chinese vegetable exports until the nationwide inspections in China provide further clarity on the scope of the contamination.
Sources
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