Chinese authorities have opened an investigation into the use of formaldehyde to keep cabbages fresh, a practice the country has banned for years. The preservative is a known carcinogen, and the probe comes from a regulator that has spent the past several years tightening food safety rules. It's a vegetable story with no direct connection to crypto, but the timing is awkward for a market that just ran up on thin trading.
What the probe means
China is the world's largest producer of cabbages, and the practice of dipping them in formaldehyde to extend shelf life has been illegal for a long time. The investigation is a reminder that Beijing is still actively enforcing regulations across many sectors, not just food. For crypto traders, that matters only because China has kept its ban
