New eatery linked to one shut down for food safety

The owner of a hotpot restaurant that closed about three months ago for reusing the soup bases is a major investor in a similar new restaurant, triggering condemnation from locals.

The employees are the same and their clothes are the same, consumers said. Locals asked why the market watchdog allows a person with such a history to play a big role in a similar restaurant within three months.

The food and drug administration authorities said there's no legal grounds for them to refuse a license to the new place since the two restaurants' legal representatives are different.

In July, Fu La Hotpot Restaurant on Yandang Road in downtown Huangpu District was closed by authorities after a local television report showed the restaurant collecting used soup bases in a barrel and reusing them again and again after some processing. The restaurant told the reporters the reused soup bases make the food more delicious and it's a common practice among hotpot restaurants.

Shanghai Food and Drug Administration launched an investigation the next day and revoked the restaurant's business license in August.

However, local food lovers found a similar hotpot restaurant named Ding La in the Xujiahui area recently. The boss, the employees and their work attire were the same as that of the closed restaurant.

"I've been eating numerous people's saliva," a local resident, Yu Lanjin, said in the Shanghai-based restaurant review website Dianping.com. "I feel so sick."

Many food lovers suggested authorities to close the new place to protect consumers.

The new restaurant issued a statement, saying it will never use "second-hand" soup bases and all the ingredients are legal.

The attractive, new restaurant is popular and runs promotions such as group discounts. Many people have no idea of the link between the two restaurants.

The Xuhui District food and drug administration authorities said they had found the previous Fu La restaurant owner is a major investor in the new restaurant and had hesitated on granting the license.

According to Chinese law, the head of a restaurant that has had its business license revoked is banned from engaging in food production and sales managerial activities within five years.

However, the law does not bar them from being investors and the legal representative of the restaurant is another person who should be granted the license, according to the authorities.

The law allows those who have had problems with food safety to have their relatives or others serve as legal representatives for new restaurants.

Fu Dingsheng, professor with the East China University of Political Science and Law, said investors' ideas usually affect how business is conducted.

The food and drug administration said they will work with the local legislation department to study the problem.