Although Southeast Asian consumers can enjoy a bounty of fresh produce, food safety is inconsistent. Formaldehyde – the chemical famously used to pickle dead bodies – is often used at unsafe levels to preserve fruit, vegetables and meat. Most recently, health officials revealed they found the chemical in one-quarter of all the products at “fresh” food markets in Nakhon Sawan province.
So what can be done to limit one’s intake of embalming fluid? Take a good look and sniff at goods before you buy them, health officials said, then clean and cook them adequately.
Meat should have a normal color and smell and be cooked at least 70 degrees Celsius to break down the chemical. Fruit and veggies should be rinsed with salt water, vinegar or baking soda.
Those exposed to a high dose of formaldehyde will experience bad headaches, increased heart rate, chest pain, dry mouth and throat, nausea, and diarrhea. If inhaled, formaldehyde can destroy the respiratory tract, cause inflammation of the lungs and pulmonary edema; such consequences may prove fatal. Intake of even smaller quantities of formaldehyde contributes to cancer.
Use of the chemical is illegal, but the penalty may not be enough to deter its widespread use. Under food safety law, using formaldehyde is punishable by a maximum of two years in jail or THB20,000 fine, according to Health Department Director-General Phonthep Siriwanarangsan, NNT reported.
Test kits for consumers are also sold online.
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Embalming chemical found in quarter of goods sold at fresh markets
