The ‘exploding melons of Danyang’ hit the headlines in May (2011), when fields of the fruit split their shells after agricultural workers in Jiangsu province mistakenly applied forchlorfenuron, a growth accelerator. The incident, which was reported on Chinese TV news, drew attention to the lax farming practices, shortcuts and excessive use of fertiliser behind a rash of food safety scandals. It came after discoveries of the heavy metal cadmium in rice, toxic melamine in milk, arsenic in soy sauce, bleach in mushrooms, and the detergent borax in pork, added to make it resemble beef | Photograph: AP
