Fake green vegetables on shelf among genuine ones in Shenyang
By Guan Xiaomeng (Chinadaily.com.cn)
Updated: 2005-12-09 14:14

Some "green vegetables" sold in major supermarkets in Shenyang, capital city of Northeast China's Liaoning Province, have been found to be fake.

Reportedly, the fake green vegetables (vegetables without pesticide) were bought from the nearby vegetable wholesale market at low prices. Then the vegetables were wrapped up, attached with "green vegetable" labels, and sold at prices as high as genuine ones.

Jiahe's "green vegetables" are displayed at showy places in major supermarkets in Shenyang, Northeast China's Liaoning Province.

The Ministry of Agriculture sent an investigation team to Shenyang as soon as the fake green vegetables were exposed.

The green vegetables are provided by an agricultural science and technology development company called Jiahe, whose vegetable-producing base is located about 100 kilometers away from Shenyang.

A worker at the base said that the company provides about two tons of more than 10 kinds of green vegetables to Shenyang every day.

However, Jiahe's general manager said that his company provides 5 to 7 tons of "green vegetables" of as many as 40 kinds to Shenyang every day.

It is reported that the remaining 3 to 5 tons of vegetables were bought from the nearby vegetable wholesale market after every midnight. Then the "green vegetables" were transported into Jiahe's processing workshops, where they were sorted, cleaned, wrapped up, and labeled as "green vegetables" as well.

A vegetable wholesaler said that the wholesale vegetables were not green vegetables at all because they had pesticide.

To justify buying vegetables from the wholesale market, a Jiahe purchaser explained that the company bought vegetables regularly from the wholesale market to supplement the insufficient base production.

The "green vegetables" would be ready and displayed at showy places before supermarkets would open every morning. Deliberately selected and wrapped up, the green vegetables would look quite fresh and clean. Quite a number of consumers paid for these "healthy" vegetables despite their higher prices.

A female Shenyang citizen surnamed Liu got very angry at the fake green vegetables "We were cheated and it is a waste of effort," she said. Liu used to buy these "green vegetables" for her sick old father in bed.

An official in charge of the green food development in the Ministry of Agriculture said the fake green vegetables seriously harm consumers' rights and cast a shadow over green vegetables' reputation.

Green food labels cannot be used unless granted by the Ministry of Agriculture. However, Jiahe was reportedly to use the labels without the grant.

An official of Liaoning green food authority explained that the local food authorities granted Jiahe the right to use the label and serial numbers of another food company called Weikang. The official explained that the authorities did this to encourage the local green food development.