On the 8th, the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS) announced that after urgently collecting and testing eight products of Chinese stem lettuce currently distributed in Korea following controversies over the distribution of stem lettuce treated with edible colorants in Gansu Province, China, no edible colorants were detected in any of them.
The MFDS has been strengthening customs inspections on Chinese stem lettuce since the 7th to verify whether edible colorants were used. In addition to the eight products urgently collected, the agency is proceeding with tests after collecting additional products distributed domestically.
The MFDS also explained that it is confirming the facts with the Chinese side through the Korean Embassy in China to determine whether Chinese stem lettuce treated with edible colorants has been imported into Korea.
Recently, companies illegally using edible colorants were discovered by local authorities during the procurement of stem lettuce in Weizhong County, Lanzhou City, Gansu Province, China. As a result of inspections conducted by local authorities on 53 vegetable procurement and storage companies, violations were confirmed at six companies, and approximately 12 tons of the problematic stem lettuce was ordered to be disposed of entirely. The violating companies were found to have used coloring agents to make discolored stem lettuce appear fresh.
in LIVING
