Chinese authorities have confirmed an illegal sulfur-fumigation operation involving bamboo shoots in Qingyuan, Guangdong province, according to local reports. The practice was used to make the shoots appear whiter and more marketable.
Videos circulated by a Chinese online creator showed a processing site in a mountainous area filled with white smoke, with bags believed to contain sulfur stacked nearby and bamboo shoots being smoked with burning sulfur. Officials later confirmed the footage was accurate, seized the products and related materials, and moved to trace where the bamboo shoots were distributed.
The concern is that sulfur dioxide residue can remain on the bamboo shoots if the process is excessive. While sulfur dioxide is not classified as a human carcinogen, high exposure can irritate the stomach and respiratory system and may harm breathing health. One Chinese blogger said the shoots should not be eaten because sulfur dioxide levels were many times above the standard.
South Korea’s food authorities said Chinese bamboo shoots are not imported into the country as raw agricultural products, though some processed bamboo shoot products such as canned goods are brought in. Those products are already tested for sulfur dioxide at customs, officials said.
