thedailywhat: Paging Gallagher of the Day: Go ahead and add “exploding watermelons” to China’s growing list of food-related scandals. According to local reports, the plant growth accelerator forchlorfenuron — a legal additive — was improperly sprayed on watermelon crops late in the season under damp conditions, causing them to explode “like landmines.” Farmer Liu Mingsuo recalled the horror he had witnessed: “On 7 May, I came out and counted 80 [burst watermelons] but by the afternoon it was 100. Two days later I didn’t bother to count any more.” Farmers say the chemical can speed up the harvest by as much as two weeks, in addition to increasing the size and price of the fruit by 20% or more. But director of the vegetable research institute at Qingdao Academy of Agricultural Science Cui Jian says use of forchlorfenuron on watermelons is not recommended, as it has a tendency to encourage the growth of misshapen melons that would be deemed unsellable due to their poor taste and difficult storage. “But,” he adds, “it should not harm anyone’s health.” Of course, having one of these suckers blow up in your face may put a damper on your day. [guardian.]

thedailywhat:

Paging Gallagher of the Day: Go ahead and add “exploding watermelons” to China’s growing list of food-related scandals.

According to local reports, the plant growth accelerator forchlorfenuron — a legal additive — was improperly sprayed on watermelon crops late in the season under damp conditions, causing them to explode “like landmines.”

Farmer Liu Mingsuo recalled the horror he had witnessed: “On 7 May, I came out and counted 80 [burst watermelons] but by the afternoon it was 100. Two days later I didn’t bother to count any more.”

Farmers say the chemical can speed up the harvest by as much as two weeks, in addition to increasing the size and price of the fruit by 20% or more. But director of the vegetable research institute at Qingdao Academy of Agricultural Science Cui Jian says use of forchlorfenuron on watermelons is not recommended, as it has a tendency to encourage the growth of misshapen melons that would be deemed unsellable due to their poor taste and difficult storage. “But,” he adds, “it should not harm anyone’s health.”

Of course, having one of these suckers blow up in your face may put a damper on your day.

[guardian.]

Notes:

  1. vivalatiffanyyy reblogged this from thedailywhat
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  3. whileyoureinschoolidothisallday reblogged this from thedailywhat and added:
    Lol doesn’t ‘exploding watermelons’ happen
  4. the-blind-literatus reblogged this from thedailywhat
  5. dare-2-dream reblogged this from thedailywhat
  6. thepinkbyrd reblogged this from thedailywhat and added:
    another reason why I love farmers markets.
  7. wonkas reblogged this from thedailywhat
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  10. a3lee reblogged this from thedailywhat and added:
    china…. oh dear.
  11. moscom reblogged this from thedailywhat
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  16. greenblowfish reblogged this from thedailywhat and added:
    only one who finds...people treat life like technology?
  17. a-fast-zombie reblogged this from thedailywhat and added:
    I do like watermelons...that I also do like explosions
  18. fuckyeahprocrastinati0n reblogged this from thedailywhat
  19. elprimeroeramelon reblogged this from thedailywhat and added:
    Agricultores chinos aplican demasiado fertilizante...las sandías y las convierten en...
  20. lecirquemagique reblogged this from thedailywhat
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  23. mcgomez reblogged this from wakarimasuka
  24. wakarimasuka reblogged this from thedailywhat and added:
    scary ass shit they...in food. WTF China.
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