A Texas man who ordered a dog toy online from a popular Chinese vendor got a shock when instead he received a package of mystery seeds that has now prompted state officials to raise the alarm over biosecurity concerns.
Earlier this month, a resident of the red state purchased a toy for his pooch on Temu – a widely used online marketplace offering heavily discounted products shipped directly from the People’s Republic of China.
To the man’s utmost surprise, the package was instead filled with mysterious, unlabeled seeds – making it the fifth suspicious package reported statewide.
‘It’s clear there’s a trend here, and Americans nationwide need to stay vigilant,’ Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller said in a press release.
‘The importance of biosecurity for our country shouldn’t be overlooked,’ he added. ‘We heard back from Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS); sure enough, the first reported package included an invasive plant species,’ he added.
‘We need everyone’s support to report these unsolicited packages from China.’
Officials are now heavily warning Texans to use extreme caution with unsolicited packages amid these new reports as the Texas Department of Agriculture, or TDA, works to collect them and send them off to APHIS for further review.
‘These packages should never have gotten through customs,’ Miller explained.
A man in Texas ordered a dog toy on Temu – the popular online Chinese vendor – but instead received mysterious seeds in the mail
Temu is an online marketplace offering heavily discounted products shipped directly from the People’s Republic of China
The delivered package of seeds prompted alarm over ‘biosecurity concerns’ across Texas as it’s the fifth report of an unsolicited package containing unknown seeds and/or liquid delivered to residents in the red state
‘Without the proper documentation and consent, the shipment did not meet the entry conditions for the United States,’ he added. ‘We need to close this loophole in our bio security protections. It’s a vulnerability to national security.’
Earlier this week, a resident in Clute, which is just under 60 miles south of Houston and roughly 10 miles from the shores of the Gulf of Mexico, received a package containing both seeds and a bizarre liquid.
After it was collected and sent for testing, the department had discovered the mystery package to be Sacred Lotus or Nelumbo nucifera seeds, also known as Indian lotus, an aquatic plant.
Further review identified the mysterious liquid to be an accompanying nutrient solution.
Sacred Lotus is considered an invasive species in many regions, especially when introduced to areas outside of its native range in Asia.
An invasive species is an organism that is not native to a particular region. Introductions of the ‘alien species’ can pose serious threats to the economy and the environment.
In terms of agriculture, the invasive species can potentially destroy native crops, introduce disease to native plants and harm livestock.
However, the plant is not listed on the federal noxious weed list despite being invasive. The only state that prohibits the plant seeds is Wisconsin.
Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller said in a press release that ‘it’s clear there’s a trend here, and Americans nationwide need to stay vigilant. The importance of biosecurity for our country shouldn’t be overlooked’
Miller said that the contents of each package will be destroyed through steam sterilization at no cost to the recipients
Other shoppers have expressed their confusion about the seeds found in their package to internet platforms such as Reddit.
‘Mrs. said I had a package from Temu. I laughed thinking it’s a prank. But I did. Name and address, but I’ve only ever used Temu a single time,’ one user wrote on a forum last month.
‘Just some seeds with a weird quote?’ he added. ‘I don’t know what plant until I pot them and they grow. But has anyone had anything like this?’
Attached to the post were two photos of the so-called seeds, which appeared to be an assortment of colors and shapes within in a small, clear package.
The package also contained a quote, which was printed under the barcode on a sticker plastered to the back of the bag.
‘Every seed has a dream of flowering,’ the quote read. ‘Strangers, hope you’re always happy to receive this package.’
The post, which garnered the attention of more than 14,000 people, was flooded with comments urging the user not to plant them. Some viewers even gave advice on what they believe would be the best method of disposing the seeds.
However, Miller said in that the contents of each package will be destroyed through steam sterilization at no cost to the recipients.
Other shoppers have expressed their confusion about the seeds found in their package to internet platforms, including this one user who shared a photo of the random seeds to Reddit
The package shared to Reddit had a quote printed under the barcode on a sticker plastered to the back of the bag, which said: ‘Every seed has a dream of flowering. Strangers, hope you’re always happy to receive this package’
Once both TDA and APHIS identify its origin, the US Customs and Border Protection will also be notified as they work to identify similar small mail packages arriving from the same sources.
The incident is eerily similar to a previous wave of seed deliveries that captured nationwide attention back in 2020, where residents in more than 30 states – including Texas – received the odd packages in their mail.
At the time, packages with the seeds were falsely labeled as being either jewelry or toys.
One of the states where the seeds popped up was Virginia, where those who received the package in the mail said that it contained foreign writing on it.
Doyle Crenshaw, a resident of Booneville, Arkansas, was another American who got a delivery for seeds that he never ordered.
‘I told my wife, “They don’t look like any flower seed I had ever seen,”‘ Crenshaw told the New York Times in August 2020.
He had ordered blue zinnia seeds from Amazon and got a package two months later that contained what he had previously ordered. However, several other packets of unknown seeds were in his delivery as well.
He said that the label, which said ‘China,’ described the contents inside as ‘studded earrings.’
Earlier this week, a resident in Clute, which is just under 60 miles south of Houston, received a package with seeds and a suspicious liquid which was discovered to be Sacred Lotus or Nelumbo nucifera seeds and an accompanying nutrient solution
Now officials are heavily warning Texans to use extreme caution with unsolicited packages amid these new reports as the Texas Department of Agriculture, or TDA, works to collect them and send them off to APHIS for further review
‘It’s a really pretty plant,’ Crenshaw said, describing what he grew from the unknown seeds. ‘It looks like a giant squash plant.’
He ultimately contacted the Arkansas Department of Agriculture to dig up the plant that just recently grew. He also planned to have the department collect a second unopened package he received, which was labeled as ‘beads’.
In the midst of the overflow of mystery seed packages across the country, all 50 states issued warnings as the inspection service was sent packets from at least 22 states during their investigation.
During the additional review, the US Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service said that it had identified 14 types of plants from the suspicious seeds, all of which appearing to have been mailed from China, NYT reported.
The investigation revealed a ‘mix of ornamental, fruit and vegetable, herb and weed species.’
Botanists identified the plant species to be cabbage, hibiscus, lavender, mint, morning glory, mustard, rose, rosemary and sage.
A test conducted that same year in Florida determined some of the mystery seeds to be nothing more than water lilies, Fox 7 Austin reported.
However, recipients were still warned not to plant them as all the seeds appeared to look different. Officials worried that some packages that they had not yet identified could contain seeds that may be detrimental for the ecosystem.
The incident is eerily similar to a previous wave of seed deliveries that captured nationwide attention back in 2020, where residents in more than 30 states – including Texas – received the odd packages in their mail from Chinese vendors
Miller said that in the event where one does receive a foreign package containing seeds, it’s of utmost importance that the original packaging isn’t opened and remains sealed
‘If it’s something exotic or something we don’t even find in the US to take over an area, and potentially choke out our native plants or, worst case scenario, choke out our agricultural fields and create additional problems in terms of managing for those types of weeds,’ Dr. Kevin Ong, a plant pathologist in Texas, told Fox 7 in 2020.
When the first wave of unsolicited packages hit the nation, the federal inspection agency said that the evidence indicated the deliveries to be part of a ‘brushing scam,’ NYT reported.
A brushing scam is a process in which sellers send unsolicited items with the sole goal of increasing sales and good reviews.
Yet people like Bernd Blossey, a professor in the department of natural resources at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York, believed that recipients of seed packets should burn them – leaving no room for the ‘what-if’s.’
‘Who knows who’s behind it or what’s behind it?’ he told the NYT in 2020. ‘I think there may be more to the story.’
On Tuesday, a 10 percent tariff on all imports from China went into effect – a move implemented by President Donald Trump in the weeks after he took office.
The change, implemented with just 48 hours’ notice, also caused the US Postal Service to temporarily stop accepting packages from China and Hong Kong last week. It had led to more than a million packages piling up at New York’s JFK Airport alone.
China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that the country’s government ‘firmly deplores and opposes this move and will take necessary countermeasures to defend its legitimate rights and interests,’ Fox 7 Atlanta reported.
When the first wave of unsolicited packages hit the nation in 2020, the federal inspection agency said that the evidence indicated the deliveries to be part of a ‘brushing scam’
The unsolicited packages have foreign writing on them – but many Americans order from Temu and Shein, which is a similar discounted popular online Chinese vendor
China ended up announcing retaliatory tariffs on certain American imports, which were set to go into effect on Monday.
Included in China’s retaliatory tariffs are a 15 percent tariff on both coal and liquefied natural gas products, and a 10 percent tariff on crude oil, agricultural machinery and large-engine cars.
However, a new executive order signed last week delayed tariffs on low-cost packages from China until the Commerce Department can confirm procedures are in place to process them and collect tariff revenue.
The Ministry of Commerce in China said that they would additionally file a lawsuit with the World Trade Organization for the ‘wrongful practices of the US’ as they take measures to safeguard its rights and interests.
As a second wave of the mysterious packages plague Texas, Miller said that consumers should keep their eyes open for any incoming packages that were never ordered.
Miller said that in the event where one does receive a foreign package containing seeds, it’s of utmost importance that the original packaging isn’t opened and remains sealed.
Recipients should instead contact the TDA immediately after discovery.
‘Folks, please take this matter seriously,’ Miller told Fox 7 Austin. ‘Receiving any unsolicited liquid or chemical at your doorstep poses a significant risk to the health of you and your family.’
On Tuesday, a 10 percent tariff on all imports from China went into effect – a move implemented by President Donald Trump in the weeks after he took office. But a new executive order signed last week delayed tariffs on low-cost packages from China until the Commerce Department can confirm procedures are in place to process them and collect tariff revenue
The Ministry of Commerce in China said that they would additionally file a lawsuit with the World Trade Organization for the ‘wrongful practices of the US’ as they take measures to safeguard its rights and interests
‘We cannot allow unidentified seeds to enter Texas. If planted, invasive plant species will substantially harm the Texas agriculture industry,’ he added.
‘The TDA will work diligently to identify these unknown seeds and liquids to protect Texas residents.’
Those who wish to report a suspicious and unknown package are urged to contact the TDA toll-free number at (800)-TELL-TDA.
Unsolicited seed deliveries can also be reported to APHIS by calling the confidential Anti-smuggling Hotline through either email or at 800-877-3835.
