South Korea has stepped up checks of cabbage arriving from China after sellers there were found to be using formaldehyde to keep the brassicas fresh, triggering a widespread crackdown by Beijing.
Cabbage is an essential ingredient in kimchi, a fermented dish that is omnipresent in the Korean diet. South Korea’s Ministry of Food and Drug Safety said it had strengthened inspections of Chinese cabbage at the border and was checking whether affected vegetables had already arrived in the country. It will take more measures if needed, it said in a text message Monday.
China launched spot checks and market inspections after videos circulated widely online, showing cabbages being dipped into the industrial chemical — which is used by morgues to preserve dead bodies, among other applications — to make them last longer.
“Any violations of laws or regulations, once discovered, will be severely punished with zero tolerance,” China’s State Administration for Market Regulation said in a statement.
South Korea is heading into kimchi making season known as kimjang, a UNESCO-listed heritage practice, which starts late autumn and runs through to year end.
While Korea produces the bulk of its own cabbage, imports from China, including Chinese-made kimchi, have become an important source of cheaper supply for restaurants and other food-service businesses.
Of the 341,316.9 tons of kimchi South Korea imported in the 12 months through July, 99.9% came from China, customs data show. China also accounted for nearly all imports of napa cabbage, the variety traditionally used to make kimchi.
The food safety scandal erupted after footage circulated online showing workers in China’s Kangbao county, in northern Hebei province, dipping cabbage roots into liquid before loading the vegetables onto trucks. Local authorities confirmed formaldehyde had been used during the purchasing and transportation process, according to Chinese and Korean media reports.
With assistance from Fran Wang.
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