China's formaldehyde cabbage may 'wash origin' to enter Taiwan, warns politician

Taiwan faces a potential food safety threat from Chinese cabbage treated with formaldehyde, a known carcinogen, according to Taiwanese politician Wu Hsin-tai. She warns that unscrupulous businesses may attempt to "wash" the origin of this produce, potentially using Vietnam as a transit point, to circumvent Taiwan's ban on Chinese cabbage imports. This practice could endanger public health and harm Taiwanese farmers.

Wu Hsin-tai, a candidate for Taipei City Councilor, highlighted that formaldehyde is strictly prohibited in food preservation in Taiwan. Ingesting it can cause severe gastrointestinal burns and even be life-threatening. She criticized the Ministry of Agriculture for the lack of progress on a promised origin identification mechanism, which was supposed to be established four months prior. Wu has demanded increased inspection rates, the inclusion of formaldehyde in special testing, and broader checks on processed foods.

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Although Taiwan legally prohibits the import of Chinese fresh and refrigerated cabbage, customs and agricultural data raise questions. It is easy to obtain a fake origin certificate from Vietnam for NT$13,000, allowing for a profit of NT$200,000 to NT$300,000.

Data shows a significant increase in cabbage and cauliflower imports from Vietnam, with volumes nearly quintupling since 2017. Wu points to this surge, coupled with a sharp drop in the market price of local cabbage in May, as suspicious indicators warranting investigation. She argues that this situation not only poses a food safety risk but also threatens the livelihood of Taiwanese vegetable farmers who must compete against artificially low-cost imports with potentially falsified origin certificates.

Wu has outlined five specific demands for the government. These include immediately increasing inspection rates for cabbage imported from Vietnam, specifically testing for formaldehyde. She also called for transparency on the progress of origin databases and isotope identification, public disclosure of inspection results, and thorough investigations into processed foods like kimchi and pickled cabbage that may use suspect ingredients. Furthermore, she urged the government to publicly name importers found with false origin labels and to track the supply chain down to restaurants and retailers.

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The Ministry of Agriculture Minister Chen Chun-chi had promised in late April to establish an origin comparison database and include stable isotopes in high-risk item testing. However, after four months, there seems to be no concrete progress.