Hebei Zhangjiakou City Kangbao County exposed the illegal use of formaldehyde solution by cabbage purchasers for preservation, and multiple Chinese local governments have been trying to evade responsibility. However, as early as 2012, official media reported that it was a common practice in the industry for vendors to use formaldehyde to preserve cabbage.
According to mainland media reports by The Paper on August 23rd, Kangbao County and several districts and counties of Zhangjiakou are currently offering rewards for information on violations of vegetable quality and safety.
Previously, Chinese blogger “Fish Hunting Brother” uploaded a video on August 22nd claiming that during a random inspection of several trucks loaded with cabbage in Tuken town, Kangbao County, he found that the cabbage was dipped in formaldehyde solution for preservation before loading.
On-site personnel stated that these cabbages were to be transported to a farm produce market in Suqian, Jiangsu, and can be preserved for 2 to 3 days after being dipped in formaldehyde.
Formaldehyde is an industrial chemical, and excessive intake may cause abdominal pain, vomiting, kidney damage, and in severe cases, could be fatal.
The incident quickly gained widespread attention. Under public pressure, Kangbao County government announced on the same day that after preliminary verification, the situation reflected in the video was true, and it was an illegal act committed by the purchasers for preserving vegetables during transportation. The public security department has taken compulsory measures against the individuals and vehicles involved and is tracing the distribution of the cabbages while conducting a comprehensive investigation of the county’s vegetable procurement, transportation, and sales processes.
Many netizens are concerned about the possibilities of the contaminated cabbages entering the market, prompting various local governments to urgently clarify their stance.
Beijing’s Fengtai District government reported that as of the evening of August 22nd, after comprehensive verification, the implicated cabbages did not enter the Beijing Xinfadi Market.
Suqian Zhonghe Agricultural Products Market Development Co., Ltd. (Zhongnong Wholesale Suqian Market) announced on its WeChat account on the evening of August 23rd that on August 21st at noon, a report was received about a suspicious shipment of cabbage from Kangbao, Hebei, being dipped in formaldehyde solution. The vegetables underwent two rapid tests under the witness of the reporter and were found to be qualified.
Jiangsu Radio and Television General Station reported that the daily arrival of cabbage at the Zhongcai Vegetable Market in Nanjing is approximately 150 tons, sourced from production areas such as Shandong, Gansu, Inner Mongolia, and Hebei. On August 22nd, the market began a thorough inspection and sampling testing of the cabbages on sale and in stock, with 53 batches tested, all of which did not detect any harmful substances such as formaldehyde. It is reported that the market has completely banned cabbages from Kangbao County, Zhangjiakou, from being allowed in.
Chinese issues expert familiar with the CCP system, Li Linyi, stated that various local governments are definitely trying to distance themselves from the issue to avoid being implicated. However, the official so-called investigation results are not trustworthy. In fact, such incidents have not been a secret within the industry for a long time.
As early as the beginning of May 2012, multiple official media reported that vegetable vendors in places like Qingzhou, Shandong, sprayed formaldehyde solution on cabbages for preservation during long-distance transportation.
According to Xinhua News Agency and “Xiaoxiang Morning Post” in May 2012, some vegetable vendors mentioned that the method of spraying formaldehyde on cabbages for preservation has been in use for three to four years and is common across different regions. Vegetable vendor Zhao Mingli said that he knew vendors from multiple regions like Shandong and Hebei who use formaldehyde to preserve cabbages, “I also sprayed them this way when collecting cabbages in Zhangbei County, Hebei.”
The report mentioned that long-term inhalation of formaldehyde can cause leukemia, and prolonged intake can lead to abnormalities in sperm.
At that time, industry insiders suggested that government departments should quickly improve the formaldehyde usage monitoring system and crack down severely on the abuse of preservatives.
In June 2015, in the vegetable wholesale market of Dingzhou City, Hebei, a problem arose where vegetable vendors were using formaldehyde to preserve and prevent cabbages from rotting.
On August 23, 2026, a blogger pointed out that a long time ago, food industry professionals had claimed in videos that a variety of foods use formaldehyde as a preservative, a widely known secret within the industry that has been neglected.
On August 22, news of cabbage soaked in formaldehyde surged in the hot searches, prompting various departments to launch investigations promptly. In fact, a long time ago, netizens in the food industry had posted videos claiming that a variety of foods use formaldehyde as a preservative, a well-known secret within the industry that had been overlooked.
Some netizens reshared the old article and commented, “Fourteen years have passed, not sure how many generations of phones have changed, yet cabbage preservation techniques are still stuck at formaldehyde. What is truly scary is not this batch of discovered cabbages but those that weren’t caught on camera. When people buy a cabbage, it’s to cook at home, not to conduct a chemical experiment.”
[Source: Epoch Times, edited for length and clarity]