As a common Chinese herbal medicine and health supplement, goji berries have gained popularity in recent years. However, recent discoveries that some farmers have used unsafe methods when handling goji berries have raised concerns about the quality of goji berries.
Goji berries are harvested from mid-June to the end of August, and it is common to see freshly picked goji berries soaked in a chemical called sodium metabisulfite, which often do not leave the soil. This unsafe disposal has attracted widespread attention.
In the past, people commonly used sulfur to treat goji berries because of their ability to prevent spoilage and pests. However, some farmers are now using sodium metabisulfite instead of sulfur, which is considered more efficient. But the problem is that sodium metabisulfite is a chemical that, if used incorrectly, can negatively affect the quality of goji berries.
According to experts, sodium metabisulfite may leave some harmful substances when brewing goji berries, and these harmful substances, once ingested by the human body, may pose a potential threat to health. Farmers say they use sodium metabisulfite to treat goji berries mainly for economic and efficiency reasons. However, this practice has undoubtedly increased consumer concerns about goji berries.
Many of the processed goji berries end up being bought by vendors and sold to dried fruit wholesalers, where they end up in the market and onto consumers' tables. In the face of this problem, both merchants and consumers need to pay enough attention to ensure the quality and safety of goji berries.
Farmers, pay attention! We should pay attention to the planting and picking process of goji berries to protect the safety and health of food. Government departments should also strengthen supervision of goji berry cultivation and processing to ensure that consumers can buy safe and secure products.
To sum up, although the situation of goji berry foam chemicals raises concerns, we should also see that this is a forced choice, and farmers have chosen this treatment method to improve yield and efficiency. We look forward to better technologies and methods to ensure the quality and safety of goji berries in the future, so that consumers can eat with peace of mind.
Goji berries are a precious Chinese herbal medicine and one of the important foods in our daily life. Let's pay attention to the food safety issues in the cultivation and processing of goji berries, so that every goji berry brings us health and happiness!
Hopefully, the above content will give you information about the current situation of goji berries, and also remind us to pay attention to food safety and protect our health.
Resources:
1. The quality and safety of goji berry planting and processing needs to be vigilant, from China Agriculture News, August 22, 2023