On September 24, 2026, Chinese media outlet First Financial reported on the background of illegal acts discovered in various places at the distribution stage of agricultural products, including the issue of illegal use of preservatives in bayberries from Fujian Province, the coloring of stem lettuce with dye in Yuzhong County, Lanzhou City, Gansu Province, and the treatment of bamboo shoots with sulfur gas in Qingyuan City, Guangdong Province.

The article first mentioned a case where "Bordeaux mixture (a mixture of copper sulfate hydrate and quicklime, also known as blue vitriol)," which is widely used in agricultural production as a broad-spectrum fungicide, was used on green onions, for which it is not approved, to maintain their green appearance. It is said that excessive intake of copper from Bordeaux mixture can cause health problems. However, public information regarding spot checks and actions by market supervision authorities in various regions for fiscal year 2026 revealed no detections of Bordeaux mixture. According to a market supervision official on site, Bordeaux mixture has no established residue limits and is not included in the list of freshness preservers, so it is not included in inspection items. Furthermore, regarding Bordeaux mixture, it was pointed out that farmers are allowed to mix it themselves, meaning it is effectively left unchecked.

When an organic agriculture business operator was interviewed, they cited cases such as rehydrated bamboo shoots becoming "whiter than a beauty's leg," in addition to the Bordeaux mixture on green onions. They stated, "Processing bamboo shoots to be pure white and soft-looking, or making shredded potatoes dazzlingly white instead of yellow, goes against the natural order, but consumers prefer to buy things that are white, soaked like pure white snow." They then added, "Market demand itself is promoting the emergence of these illegal products. If there were no demand, such products would disappear. We should avoid eating out-of-season vegetables as much as possible and eat seasonal, local produce."

Continuing, when a business operator was asked, "Why are regulations not effective against the rampant misuse of freshness preservers at the distribution stage?", it was pointed out that the cause lies in the barriers of cross-provincial regulatory systems. For example, if a distribution route goes from point A to point B, neither point A nor point B can regulate each other, and no joint law enforcement mechanism has been established between them. Furthermore, according to on-site regulatory officials, in some jurisdictions, about 20 officials must regulate not only over 2,000 agricultural product businesses but also a wide range of other sectors such as restaurants, supermarkets, and special equipment, indicating serious challenges such as staff shortages, excessive workload, and a mismatch between authority and responsibility. Moreover, due to the characteristics of fresh agricultural products—fast turnover, fragmented batches, and perishability—the traditional inspection system provides slow feedback, and the speed of regulation cannot keep up with the speed of food distribution at all. (Translation & Editing / Harakuni Yuki)