Chinese Cabbages Soaked in Carcinogen? KFDA Tests All Imported Chinese Cabbages and Kimchi

Amid growing shock over revelations that cabbages soaked in formaldehyde were distributed in China, the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety has released the results of a full inspection of Chinese cabbages circulating in South Korea.

The ministry announced that it collected and tested 82 items currently circulating in the domestic market, including Chinese-imported kimchi, fresh cabbages, and salted cabbages, and found no trace of formaldehyde in any of them.

This inspection covered products from all manufacturing and packaging companies handling Chinese cabbages distributed within South Korea.

The ministry also stated that after investigating the cabbage-sourcing regions of 55 Chinese kimchi manufacturing facilities that export to South Korea, none of them purchased cabbages from Kangbao County in Zhangjiakou, Hebei Province, where formaldehyde was reportedly used.

Following enhanced inspection measures implemented for Chinese cabbages on the 24th, the ministry has been testing for formaldehyde at the customs clearance stage and is also conducting manufacturer-by-manufacturer tests on kimchi and salted cabbages.

Formaldehyde is a harmful substance classified as a Group 1 carcinogen by the International Agency for Research on Cancer, an organization under the World Health Organization. It is typically used for disinfection and the preservation of biological tissues.

Previously, it was revealed that formaldehyde had been used in some rural areas of China to maintain the freshness of cabbages, prompting the Chinese government to launch a special investigation.

Reported by Park Se-won | Video by Kim Na-on | Graphics by Lee Su-min | Produced by SBS Digital News
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.