No harmful substances found in checks of Chinese kimchi amid formaldehyde fears

The Seoul Metropolitan Government announced Monday that it is conducting a special inspection of businesses that handle kimchi.

The inspection was triggered by reports in August that cabbage vendors in Zhangjiakou, Hebei Province, China, had used formaldehyde solution to prevent spoilage. Tests on samples of Chinese-origin cabbage, kimchi and water celery for formaldehyde and tar colorants have so far found no harmful substances.

The city has been conducting joint inspections with district offices and private-sector partners since Aug. 27, targeting about 9,500 kimchi-handling establishments — including restaurants, traditional markets and banchan shops — to check country-of-origin labeling and hygiene management. Results from 6,365 businesses had been compiled as of Wednesday. Of those, 5,802 agricultural, fishery, livestock and food retailers in traditional markets were checked for origin labeling: 5,796 passed, while six were cited for failing to display the required information. The relevant district offices immediately imposed fines and other administrative penalties on the violators.

All 563 food manufacturing, processing and ready-made food businesses handling napa cabbage kimchi passed hygiene and origin-labeling checks. Inspections of general restaurants are expected to wrap up by mid-October, with results to be compiled afterward.

Separately, the Seoul Metropolitan Government Institute of Public Health and Environment collected imported agricultural and fishery products and processed foods currently on the market and conducted safety tests, finding no irregularities so far.

Tests on 13 samples of Chinese cabbage and 48 samples of kimchi for formaldehyde, as well as six samples of Chinese water celery and 24 processed water celery products for tar colorants, all came back negative.

Safety tests on 37 samples of imported agricultural products and 155 samples of imported fishery products — including radiation testing — also returned no abnormalities.

The special inspection and sample testing are part of the city's "four-tier safety net" for imported food, which Seoul announced in August.

The initiative supplements the import and customs-clearance inspections handled by the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety with additional checks covering the entire supply chain — from wholesale market entry through online and offline retail to actual consumption at restaurants and traditional markets.

"We will swiftly complete the ongoing inspections of kimchi-handling businesses and immediately add any imported food items flagged by new overseas safety alerts to our testing list," said Jo Yeong-chang, director of the Seoul Metropolitan Government's Bureau of Public Health.