Formaldehyde-tainted Chinese cabbage in Qingzhou, Shandong Province, the country's largest vegetable production base, has exposed some clandestine market practices, Xinhua reported.

In their many visits to croplands and wholesale centers, reporters found that using a formaldehyde solution has been a popular, unspoken method for keeping vegetables fresh for at least three years.

Many local farmers have turned a blind eye to the dealers' practice of treating the cabbage with a formaldehyde solution.

"It's a common practice to keep the cabbages fresh," says Yin Lihua, a cabbage farmer in Qingzhou's Dongxia township. "Otherwise, the vegetables stacked tightly in their trucks would rot in two to three days."

(China.org.cn May 9, 2012)

据新华社报道，山东省青州市一些地方被传出部分蔬菜商贩使用甲醛溶液喷洒白菜进行保鲜。青州市是我国最大蔬菜生产基地。

记者探访了商贩经常光顾的农田和蔬菜批发中心，发现使用甲醛溶液为春白菜保鲜在当地十分常见，并且此法已沿用至少三年。

当地许多农民对商贩使用甲醛溶液喷洒白菜进行保鲜的现象一直是睁一只眼闭一只眼。

“这种让蔬菜保鲜的办法十分平常，”青州市东夏镇一名菜农表示，“不然，在卡车运输中，白菜紧紧地堆到一起容易腐烂，压上两三天就会烂掉。”