Chinese authorities have launched an investigation after footage emerged showing individuals dipping cabbages in formaldehyde — a carcinogenic chemical used to preserve biological specimens — before loading them onto trucks in Hebei province (a northern Chinese region bordering Beijing). Police have taken action against those involved, while officials are conducting spot checks at markets nationwide and working to determine how widely the practice has spread. The case has alarmed consumers in China, which produces nearly half the world's annual cabbage supply and exports large quantities to Vietnam, South Korea, and Russia.