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Liu Zhen

Two local governments in China have vowed to crack down on the use of illegal additives in goji berries after media reports revealed widespread misuse of chemicals in the food.
Authorities in Golmud, Qinghai province, and Jingyuan county in Gansu province said on Monday that they had set up special task forces to investigate the activity.
“The results of the investigation and how the case is being handled will be made public in a timely manner,” Golmud authorities said.
“Those responsible for the offences will be severely punished according to law.”
Jingyuan’s food safety committee issued a similar statement.

The announcements followed an investigative report by state broadcaster CCTV on Sunday that some dealers in these regions used illegal additives such as sodium metabisulfite and industrial sulphur on the berries.
Goji berry, also known as wolfberry, is a small, bright red fruit grown commercially in northwestern China. It is widely consumed in food, drink and traditional medicine and a major export commodity to other parts of Asia. In 2023, mainland China exported nearly 12,000 tonnes of the crop, with Vietnam and Hong Kong among the top destinations.


The CCTV report showed dealers in Golmud and Jingyuan soaking berries in a sodium metabisulfite solution to make them look redder and brighter, enabling them to be sold at higher prices.
To improve the fruit’s colour and preservation period, some dealers were also filmed smoking the berries with industrial sulphur in sheds, where “the strong odour attacked the nose and the reporter was instantly in tears and found it hard to breathe”.
“Smoking the goji berries they bought from farmers seems to have become a ritual among the merchants during the harvest season,” the report said, describing some of the activity as “blatant”.
“The fruit can only look beautifully red after it has been smoked with sulphur,” a dealer was filmed saying. “But sulphur is poisonous.”
China’s food safety regulations ban any use of sodium metabisulfite. Industrial sulphur, which can cause kidney and liver failure and nerve damage, cannot be used in food processing.
The CCTV report said many of the processed berries produced in Golmud and Jingyuan were sold to hotpot restaurants and traditional Chinese medicine clinics, while others were made into alcoholic drinks.
Tests on various goji berry samples bought in Jingyuan showed the fruit were all unsafe for consumption, the report said.
It is the second major food scandal in two months. In July, state media reports revealed that uncleaned tankers were used to transport edible cooking oil immediately after unloading fuel.


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State broadcaster reports use of illegal additives to improve crop’s colour and shelf life


State broadcaster reports use of illegal additives to improve crop’s colour and shelf life.


Food and agriculture