Gansu County Exposes Dyed Lettuce Scandal; Six Companies Fined for Illegal Additive Use
On.cc · 2 SOURCES1 day ago5 MIN
Summary
Authorities in Yuzhong County (榆中縣), Gansu Province, have uncovered a food safety scandal involving the illegal use of food colorings on lettuce. Local regulators inspected 53 vegetable warehouse operators on Saturday and found six companies violating food additive regulations . An investigative blogger, identified as Mr. Zhang (張先生), exposed the practice after visiting 13 vegetable warehouses and discovering that more than half were soaking lettuce in an unknown liquid solution . Laboratory tests on samples from three warehouses confirmed the presence of Brilliant Blue (亮藍) and Tartrazine (檸檬黃), both permitted food additives but prohibited for use in fresh vegetable processing . The dyes were applied to mask yellowing and surface damage that occurs during harvest and storage . Food safety experts warn that long-term consumption of the treated produce could trigger allergic reactions and potentially increase cancer risk .
Key Points
- Mr. Zhang's investigation covered 13 vegetable warehouses, with over half found using unknown liquids to soak lettuce
- Laboratory analysis detected two synthetic dyes — Brilliant Blue and Tartrazine — in samples from three warehouses
- Authorities examined all 53 vegetable purchasing and storage operators in the county, identifying 6 violating enterprises
- The Yuzhong County Agricultural and Rural Affairs Bureau, along with the Market Supervision Administration, conducted the joint inspection on September 5, 2026
- Yuzhong County is a national demonstration base for pollution-free vegetables, producing approximately 700,000 tonnes of vegetables annually
Why It Matters
The discovery exposes vulnerabilities in China's vegetable supply chain, where profit-driven traders compromise food safety standards at distribution hubs before produce reaches consumers nationwide . As a major agricultural county supplying fresh vegetables to cities across China, Yuzhong's reputation as a pollution-free production model now faces reputational damage, underscoring the need for stricter oversight of food additive usage throughout the agricultural sector .
The discovery exposes vulnerabilities in China's vegetable supply chain, where profit-driven traders compromise food safety standards at distribution hubs before produce reaches consumers nationwide . As a major agricultural county supplying fresh vegetables to cities across China, Yuzhong's reputation as a pollution-free production model now faces reputational damage, underscoring the need for stricter oversight of food additive usage throughout the agricultural sector .