Following online reports on August 22 regarding cabbage purchasers in Kangbao County, Zhangjiakou, Hebei Province, illegally using formaldehyde solution for preservation, Beijing's Xinfadi Agricultural Products Wholesale Market launched a full supply chain traceability investigation immediately.

As of the evening of August 22, comprehensive verification by Xinfadi confirmed that no contaminated cabbage from the involved batches in Kangbao County entered the market, ensuring the safety and stability of the capital's vegetable supply.

After the incident came to light, the market promptly conducted item-by-item checks on all incoming cabbage, verifying origin certificates, transport vehicles, and procurement channels. A Xinfadi representative noted that the market has long maintained strict agricultural product admission systems and sampling inspection mechanisms, confirming that the implicated vehicles and batches never traded within the market.

Xinfadi has simultaneously increased the frequency of rapid testing for pesticide residues and illegal additives in vegetables to prevent any substandard agricultural products from entering the market, dedicating full efforts to protecting the safety of the capital's "vegetable basket."

Currently, cabbage supply at Xinfadi remains ample, with all products accompanied by standardized origin certificates and qualified inspection reports. The market advises consumers to purchase cabbage from reputable supermarkets and wholesale markets and to consult market management if they have any concerns about product origins.

Xinfadi will continue to strengthen entry inspections to ensure every batch of vegetables is safe and reliable, allowing capital residents to enjoy "peace-of-mind vegetables." At the time of reporting, cabbage trading prices at Xinfadi remained stable and unaffected by the incident.

Relevant authorities are continuing to track the flow of the implicated cabbage, and Xinfadi will closely monitor developments, remaining ready to assist with emergency response efforts as needed.

According to earlier reports from The Paper, on August 22, a blogger known as "Fisherman Hunter Qige" released a video showing that at Tunken Town, Kangbao County, Zhangjiakou, Hebei Province, randomly selected cabbage-loaded semi-trailers were all found to have cabbage dipped in formaldehyde solution for preservation before loading. The video captured bottles labeled "formaldehyde solution" on trucks carrying the cabbage.

In the video, a truck driver whose vehicle was being loaded stated the cabbages would be transported to Suqian, Jiangsu Province. Another on-site worker mentioned that dipping in formaldehyde solution could preserve freshness for "2-3 days." At the end of the video, the blogger claimed to have detected formaldehyde in cabbage at a market in Hefei, confirming it originated from Hebei.

In response, the Kangbao County People's Government in Zhangjiakou, Hebei, issued a notice on the 22nd stating that upon learning of the online report concerning the "cabbage procurement dipping in formaldehyde solution" issue, the county immediately organized agriculture, market regulation, public security, and other departments to conduct on-site verification and investigation.

After preliminary verification, the situation reflected in the video was confirmed to be true, involving illegal acts by purchasers during loading for the purpose of preserving vegetables during transport. Public security authorities have taken compulsory measures against the relevant personnel and vehicles in accordance with the law, and the case is under further investigation.

Simultaneously, emergency tracing of the flow of the implicated cabbage is underway. The county is also conducting comprehensive and in-depth inspections of all vegetable procurement, transport, and sales links, and will seriously investigate and punish any discovered illegal or non-compliant activities to ensure the safety of vegetable supply. The government expressed gratitude for the supervision and support of the media and netizens.

On the evening of August 22, People's Daily published an article titled "Handling 'Formaldehyde Cabbage' Must Be Swift and Severe," which stated that a self-media blogger released a video exposing the practice of dipping cabbage in formaldehyde solution for preservation before loading in Kangbao County, Zhangjiakou, Hebei.

The video triggered public concerns about food safety, and local authorities quickly intervened. That same afternoon, Kangbao County issued a notice confirming the situation in the video was factual, taking compulsory measures against the relevant personnel and vehicles while urgently tracing the flow of the implicated cabbage.

To improve appearance and reduce transport losses, purchasers risked using formaldehyde for "preservation"—an act described as vile in nature and utterly absurd. China's Food Safety Law and Agricultural Product Quality Safety Law explicitly stipulate that preservatives and anti-corrosion agents used in the packaging, preservation, storage, and transport of agricultural products must comply with national food safety standards.

Formaldehyde, classified as a Group 1 carcinogen, is strictly prohibited from being added or used. These purchasers calculated only short-term economic gains, completely disregarding consumer health, crossing legal red lines and breaking moral boundaries. Their actions also damaged the reputation of local agricultural products and caused innocent losses for compliant local farmers.

Food safety is no trivial matter and must be handled swiftly and severely. The most urgent task now is to trace the transport chain to the end, intercept shipments in time, and prevent more consumers from purchasing problematic products.

Safeguarding food safety requires fundamental solutions. While promptly handling the problematic products, this incident must serve as a warning, prompting thorough inspections across all links of vegetable procurement, loading, long-distance transport, and wholesale distribution. Regulatory gaps must be filled, and checkpoints moved forward to eliminate hazards before goods are loaded and shipped.

The cost of illegal activity for unscrupulous merchants must be raised so that those blinded by greed feel the deterrent force of the legal sword. Food is the first necessity of the people, and safety is the first priority of food. The string of food safety must remain taut—every link from field to table cannot afford to slacken.

According to previously published reports by "Popular Science China," formaldehyde in vegetables can be divided into endogenous and exogenous categories. Endogenous formaldehyde is produced during biological metabolic processes and naturally exists in many foods, such as vegetables, mushrooms, fruits, meat, and fish. This type of formaldehyde is present in extremely small amounts and poses essentially no harm to human health.

Exogenous formaldehyde is generated during food processing, transport, and sales due to improper human use and is the primary cause of food formaldehyde contamination. Some unscrupulous vegetable vendors spray diluted formaldehyde on vegetable roots, which not only reduces heat generation and rotting during long-distance transport but also makes the roots appear whiter and more appealing to buyers.

China's Food Safety Law and Agricultural Product Quality Safety Law clearly stipulate that formaldehyde shall not be produced, used, or distributed as a food processing aid. In other words, adding formaldehyde to food in any manner is illegal.

Furthermore, the "Popular Science China" article mentioned that the acceptable daily intake of formaldehyde is 0.2 mg per kilogram of body weight. For a person weighing 60 kilograms, the total acceptable daily intake would be 12 milligrams. A survey in Guangzhou showed that the average formaldehyde content across all vegetables at local farmers' markets was 0.272 mg per kilogram.

Not considering formaldehyde intake from other foods, exceeding the acceptable daily intake would require eating 44.118 kilograms of vegetables in a single day. Formaldehyde is also a highly volatile substance—if vegetables truly had high concentrations of formaldehyde, it could be smelled without even holding them near one's nose.

For consumers who suspect they may have purchased vegetables with formaldehyde, the recommendation is to peel off the outer leaves, rinse thoroughly with water several times, and, if time permits, cook for a few extra minutes.