After absorbing unknown preservatives, Chinese pears can remain fresh for five months in normal environmental conditions in Vietnam, a Vietnamese food safety official has warned.
Pham Xuan Da, the rector of the National Institute for Food Control, released the striking information at a meeting on Tuesday between the Ministry of Health and the People’s Committee of the northern province of Lang Son, which borders China.
At the meeting, which focused on identifying fruit preservatives used by Chinese growers or traders and evaluating their effects on human health, Da said Chinese pears bought in Hanoi can remain bright for five months after their the purchase date.
“Such pears, kept with preservatives, only wither a bit and, their color remains fresh after five months,” Da said.
However, it is very difficult to identify the substances that have been used by Chinese planters or merchants for pears, as well as for many other fruits and farm produce, the official said.
In the first eight months of this year, about 235,000 tons of fruit and farm produce were imported through the border gates in the province, Lang Son authorities said.
The shipments included 11,500 tons of pears, 20,000 tons of mandarines, 20,000 tons of oranges, 2,000 tons of watermelons, 900 tons of mangos, 94 tons of plums, 30 tons of pomeloes, 94, 000 tons of garlic, 27,000 tons of onions, 7,000 tons of carrots, 3,000 tons of fresh mushrooms, and 46 tons of tomatoes.
To date, more than 2,000 types of substances used for plant protection have been created, but Vietnamese experts can only test for about 600 of them.
In addition, numerous chemicals can be used as preservatives that can only be detected by reagents and proper testing methods, Da said.
Ly Kim Soi, director of the Lang Son Province International Health Quarantine Center, said that three or four years ago, the provincial health department took samples of Chinese fruits for testing, but failed to identify what had been used to preserve them.
Pear, apple, watermelon to be tested
Tran Quang Trung, director of the health ministry’s Food Safety Department, said his staffers will take samples of pear, apple, and watermelon imported from China through the Tan Thanh border gate in Lang Son for testing to detect preservatives, if any.
Other samples of Chinese fruits will later be taken from markets in Hanoi, from the Mong Cai border gate in Quang Ninh province, and from Lao Cai province, Trung said.
Hoang Dinh Hoan, director of the Lang Son Province Health Department, said that Chinese traders also use preservatives for fruits and farm produce they buy from Vietnam before they sell them to consumers.
Speaking at the meeting, Minister of Health Nguyen Thi Kim Tien said the ministry will work with Chinese agencies to ask them to provide a list of chemicals used as preservatives for fruits and farm produce in China, as well as the testing methods needed for such substances.
“Chinese fruits that absorbed unknown preservatives so that they can remain fresh for five months after being sold to Vietnam will have immeasurable harmful effects on Vietnamese consumers,” Minister Tien stressed.
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