Identify Chinese fruits

When consumers tend to "boycott" Chinese fruits, sellers swap the origin of Chinese fruits for domestic products or imported products from the US, Australia, New Zealand, etc.

According to Ms. Nguyen Thanh Ha, Deputy Director of Thu Duc Agricultural Products Wholesale Market - Ho Chi Minh City, foreign fruits account for about 15% - 20% of the total amount of fruits coming to the market, 50% of which are Chinese goods. Chinese fruits are also harvested seasonally and are imported to Vietnam in large quantities according to the season.

It is currently the season for persimmons and pomegranates, so these two items are the most popular. Apples and pears are imported regularly all year round. Because of the use of many stimulants and preservatives, most Chinese fruits are uniform in size, shiny, and can be kept for a long time in the natural environment.

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Pay close attention and consumers can distinguish Chinese fruit from fruit from other places through the following characteristics:

Orange: Vinh oranges are round, small, green-yellow in color, and often have blotchy skin. Chinese oranges are large, bright yellow, have thin, smooth skin, and are seedless; segments have a rotten smell.

Tangerines: Chinese tangerines imported to Vietnam are advertised as domestic tangerines. Chinese tangerines have thick, shiny skin and when peeled, the two ends of the segments are often dry and hard. Vietnamese tangerines have thin skin and are often blotchy.

Pomegranate: Vietnamese pomegranates are small, have many seeds, are thick, and have green skin. Chinese pomegranates are large, round, have thin skin, and are pinkish-white.

Grapes: Chinese grapes are large and round, have light skin, are sour, soft, crumbly and have many seeds. American grapes have darker skin, are elongated, sweet, crunchy, and have few or no seeds. Phan Rang (Ninh Thuan) grapes are small, have short clusters and are bright green.

Apples: Chinese apples are round, wrapped in foam netting, when peeled there are fine, powdery particles on the skin (due to evaporation of preservatives). New Zealand and American apples are slightly square and angular...

Most imported fruits contain preservatives to keep them fresh during transportation. It is best for consumers to use domestic fruits to ensure freshness; buy fruits in season (because off-season fruits often have to be “treated” with growth stimulants and more preservatives). To limit chemical residues, consumers should soak the fruit in diluted salt water for 30 minutes and peel it before eating. Absolutely do not eat fruits with soft flesh, unusual color and strange smell.

(According to NNVN)-LC