In China, which stirred controversy after cabbage was soaked in a carcinogenic formaldehyde solution, authorities this time uncovered cases of lettuce being dyed before distribution. Local authorities reportedly discarded all of the implicated lettuce.
On the 7th, according to China's Shangguan News and Hong Kong's Sing Tao Daily, authorities in Yuzhong County, Lanzhou, Gansu province, inspected 53 local vegetable distributors and confirmed that six used coloring agents illegally when purchasing stem lettuce.
It began with a blogger's exposé. The blogger visited 13 vegetable warehouses in Yuzhong County and released video showing that in more than half of them, stem lettuce was being soaked in an unidentified green liquid.
On site, products labeled as compound food additives and compound colorants were also found. It is presumed the colorants were used to mask discoloration that occurred during post-harvest storage.
In China, using food additive dyes on fresh vegetables is prohibited. Authorities said they disposed of all the problematic stem lettuce after on-site inspections.
Earlier, on the previous month, it came to light in Hebei province that cabbage buyers had soaked cabbage in a formaldehyde solution during long-distance transport to keep it fresh for two to three more days, sparking backlash.
That, too, became known through a blogger's video exposé. Chinese authorities have instructed local governments to conduct special inspections of fresh produce and crack down on the illegal use of preservatives.