China Bans Sale of 'Death Fruit' Binlang Amid Rising Consumption Linked to Oral Cancer Risk

The Market Supervision and Administration Bureaus of Yiwu City, Zhejiang Province, and Nanchang City, Jiangxi Province, prohibited the sale of processed betel nut products on the 20th and ordered the removal of products displayed on sales counters.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

원본보기 아이콘

[Asia Economy Intern Reporter Kim Nayeon] As sales of the fruit "Binlang" (Betel Nut), known to cause oral cancer, increase in China, local governments have begun regulating its sale.

According to the Communist Party's official newspaper, People's Daily, on the 22nd, the Market Supervision and Administration Bureaus of Yiwu City in Zhejiang Province and Nanchang City in Jiangxi Province banned the sale of processed Binlang products on the 20th and ordered the removal of products displayed on sales counters.

People's Daily reported that starting with Junyi City in Guizhou Province in May, more than ten locations have issued bans on the sale of Binlang food products, and the number is gradually increasing.

Previously, China excluded Binlang from food categories in 2020, and in September last year, it completely banned the promotion or sale of Binlang as food through broadcasts and the internet.

In China and some other Asian countries, many people chew Binlang like gum, using it as a remedy for cold symptoms and as an antiparasitic medicine.

However, the arecoline component contained in Binlang is known to cause oral cancer.

The World Health Organization (WHO) International Agency for Research on Cancer designated Binlang as a Group 1 carcinogen in 2003, and China also classified arecoline as an oral cancer-causing substance in 2017. This is why local governments in China have started regulating Binlang.

In particular, on the 10th, the death of Chinese singer Bosong (36), who suffered from oral cancer, shocked local society. Before his death, he revealed that he had chewed Binlang regularly for six years and warned, "I want to raise awareness of how dangerous Binlang is through my experience."

A survey conducted several years ago in Hunan Province on about 8,000 oral cancer patients found that 90% of them had consumed Binlang.

China banned TV advertisements for Binlang products in September last year. Nevertheless, as consumption has not decreased in rural areas and elsewhere, local governments have taken active measures.

Despite government regulations, the production and consumption of Binlang in China are actually increasing.

According to China's Market Supervision and Administration Bureau, the Binlang market size, which was 55.8 billion yuan (approximately 11 trillion won) in 2011, grew to 78.1 billion yuan (approximately 16 trillion won) in 2018, and is expected to exceed 100 billion yuan (20 trillion won) by 2025.

There are about 15,000 Binlang-related companies in China. The Hainan Province Binlang Association, which produces 280,000 tons annually and accounts for 95% of China's total production, stated, "We will comply with laws and regulations during distribution" and "We will focus on developing medicinal products."

© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.