SEATTLE — A food safety scandal involving formaldehyde-treated napa cabbage in China is raising a new question for kimchi’s fast-growing presence in the United States: Could the controversy hurt American consumers’ appetite for the Korean staple? Chinese authorities recently confirmed that napa cabbages were illegally soaked in a solution containing formaldehyde, a chemical classified as a human carcinogen, to keep them fresh during transportation, prompting an investigation and efforts to trace where the affected produce was distributed. The case quickly raised concerns about kimchi, whose main ingredient is typically napa cabbage. South Korea has strengthened inspections of cabbage imported from China and is seeking to determine whether produce linked to the case entered the country. There is currently no evidence that affected cabbage or kimchi has reached the U.S. Still, the controversy comes as kimchi enjoys unprecedented visibility among American consumers. Once largely found at Korean restaurants and Asian supermarkets, kimchi has become a mainstream food in the U.S., showing
