(ECNS) – A Shanghai-based food trade company has been caught forging hygiene certificates for imported food supplied to nearly 80 branches of the Metro chain in the Chinese mainland, Shanghai's quality watchdog said on Tuesday.
The Shanghai Youzilang Co. says it had imported grapefruit tea from South Korea and supplied it to Metro Jinjiang Cash & Carry Co in Shanghai.
The Shanghai Entry-Exit Inspection and Quarantine Bureau says it has checked documents at Metro Jinjiang and discovered 2,000 fake hygiene certificates for Youzilang products.
Xiao Lan, an executive at Metro, told the Beijing Times on Wednesday that the retail chain immediately withdrew all Youzilang products from its stores across the country, and is cooperating with government investigations.
According to Metro's website, the chain runs 83 stores in China, including three in Beijing.
"Supermarkets are obliged to carry out strict reviews of supplier qualifications, but Metro has almost no control in this regard," says Yao Wenhua, head of the Beijing Supermarket Supply Enterprises Association.
"It was just the tip of the iceberg," Yao told the paper, adding that some retail enterprises are obsessed with pursuing profits, while ignoring many food safety problems.
