Oranges from eastern Jiangxi Province are being falsely labelled as imported products from Australia or the US by dishonest fruit sellers in China, after the domestic industry was rocked by a skin-dyeing scandal last month.
News that some navel oranges from Gannan had had their colour illegally altered by carcinogenic red Sudan dyes has caused domestic sales to plummet, as Chinese consumers further lose faith in a sector already marred by a series of scandals.
The dyes, usually used on plastics and other synthetic materials, were not the end on the industry’s woes, with investigations also revealing that fruit had been artificially ripened using the banned growth simulator ethrel.
Anxious to abate concerns, the Shanghai Food and Safety Office announced on Tuesday 5 November that 20 samples of Gannan navels oranges had been tested with no trace of carcinogenic dyes or artificial ripeners found.
Nevertheless, some fruit sellers’ decision to deceive consumers about the origins of their produce reflects current consumer aversion to locally-grown fruit.
Wholesalers have responded by escalating supervision of oranges from Ganzhou, Jiangxi, requiring businesses to provide certification for the produce.
