Cheap 1,000-won Chinese bread is flooding South Korea, and shoppers worry

Bread for about 1,000 won (roughly 0.70 US dollars) sounds like a bargain. But in South Korea, a growing number of shoppers are asking what exactly is in it.

Imports of cheap Chinese bread with a long shelf life have risen sharply in recent months. The low price and long expiry date are the main selling points. They are also the reason many consumers are getting nervous.

The worry is about preservatives and hygiene. In the past, the government caught 51 sites over problems such as using illegal colouring, ignoring preservative limits, or failing bacteria and E. coli standards.

That history is why the question keeps coming up: how long can a loaf last, and what keeps it that way? For now, the concern comes from consumers and from past enforcement records, not from a new ban or recall.