China’s food safety is once again embroiled in a scandal. In Hebei’s Kangbao County, one of the country’s largest cabbage-producing areas, it has been revealed that every cabbage is dipped in a cancer-causing “formaldehyde solution” before being loaded onto trucks and shipped to wholesale markets across the country. The news has shocked the public and local authorities have confirmed the situation.
On August 22, blogger “Fisherman Brother” released a video exposing the practice of randomly selecting large cabbages in the fields of Kunming Town in Kangbao County, Zhangjiakou City, Hebei, and dipping them in formaldehyde solution before loading them onto trucks for transportation.
The video shows bottles labeled “formaldehyde solution” on the truck carrying the cabbages, with workers on-site picking up a cabbage and soaking it in a basin on the truck.
Workers at the scene openly admitted that dipping the cabbages in the solution can extend their freshness by two to three days, making them less likely to spoil during long-distance transportation.
A truck driver loading the cabbages mentioned that the cabbages were destined for Jiangsu’s Suqian. The blogger tracked the cabbages from Hebei to a market in Hefei where they were tested and found to have residual formaldehyde.
The blogger stated that formaldehyde was detected in the cabbages from Hebei at a market in Hefei.
Kangbao County is an important production area for summer vegetables in the north. In August, large quantities of cabbages are harvested and transported in trucks to agricultural markets in Jiangsu, Anhui, and other parts of the country.
This news quickly went viral, with netizens questioning where the formaldehyde-laden cabbages ended up, expressing concerns about the health risks, and linking the prevalence of cancer cases to consuming such toxic cabbages.
Under public pressure, on August 22, the Kangbao County government issued a notice stating that the video showing cabbages being dipped in formaldehyde during the procurement process was true. It was revealed that the practice was carried out by vegetable transport businesses for preservation during shipping, constituting illegal behavior. Authorities have taken mandatory measures against individuals and vehicles involved, and the case is under further investigation.
Formaldehyde solution, also known as formalin, is a water solution containing around 37% to 40% formaldehyde (HCHO). It is characterized by a strong, pungent odor and is used for preservation and disinfection in medical specimen preparation and industrial manufacturing. Formaldehyde is classified by the World Health Organization as a Group 1 carcinogen, strictly prohibited for use in food preservation due to its clear carcinogenic effects on humans.