Friday, August 5, 2016

Chinese-Made Plastic Mangos Sold in Vietnam




Tuoi Tre News [Vietnam]
5 August 2016


TUOI TRE NEWS

Rumors of fake Chinese mangos made from plastic are throwing social media users in Vietnam into a collective paranoia.

The rumors sprouted from a video clip posted by a Facebook account named D.T.N. appearing to show the seed from a small mango, allegedly from China, being cut open to reveal what seems like a plastic membrane. […]

According to many experts, the ‘plastic’ membrane found in the clip might just be a natural part of a mango.

Dr. Tran Anh Tuan, a member of the Plant Physiology Department of the Vietnam National University of Agriculture, said that many plants have soft membranes to protect the seed.

Dr. Nguyen Van Hoan, a former lecturer in the Faculty of Agronomy of the Vietnam National University of Agriculture, suggested that some plants have an outer coat to protect the seed and a very soft inner membrane that encapsulates the seed.

This soft membrane is perhaps the ‘plastic’ one people claim to have found inside the stones. […]