South Korea's Ministry of Food and Drug Safety is intensifying checks on spring vegetables amid the viral bomdong bibimbap trend popular on social media. The inspections, running through March 20, target seasonal produce like spring cabbage for pesticide residues and heavy metals, following a surge in demand.
The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety announced on March 7, 2026, that it will collaborate with local governments to collect and test 340 samples of spring vegetables from wholesale markets and online platforms. The focus is on items with past compliance issues over the previous three years. Targeted vegetables include bomdong (spring cabbage), shepherd's purse, wild chives, mugwort, stonecrop, chwi-namul, fatsia shoots, butterbur, water parsley, sebal-namul, and deodeok.
This effort responds to the bomdong bibimbap trend gaining traction online, akin to the earlier Dubai chocolate cookies fad, which has sharply increased consumption of bomdong and other spring vegetables.
Last spring's inspections revealed nine agricultural products exceeding allowed pesticide residue levels: three cases of young radish, two of bomdong, and one each of shepherd's purse, radish greens, cucumber, and mustard greens. All non-compliant items were destroyed.
The ministry stated, "We will continue to implement agricultural product safety management that reflects consumption trends and seasonal demand to create a safe food environment."
