Husi accused of changing production dates on food
Print Edition
SHANGHAI Husi Food Co falsified the production dates on several thousand batches of processed meat in order to extend its shelf life, the Shanghai Food and Drug Administration said yesterday.
The company altered the dates on 4,396 cases of smoked beef patties produced in May 2013 so that they appeared to have been made in January of this year, it said.
The processed meat has a shelf life of nine months.
Of the suspect cases, 3,030 have already been sold and the watchdog has alerted the China Food and Drug Administration to help track them down. All of the meat not yet sold has been sealed and will be sent for analysis, the administration said.
As well as falsifying production dates, Shanghai Husi Food, which is owned by the United States-based OSI Group, has been charged with reclycling food products returned by clients and mixing out-of-date meat with fresh cuts, said Gu Zhenghua, the administration’s vice director.
As of yesterday, 144.1 tons of chicken nuggets, meat patties and steaks had been sealed for laboratory tests, the watchdog said.
Brent Afman, OSI Group’s general manager for the Asia-Pacific region, said in a report to the administration that Shanghai Husi responded slowly to the incident.
OSI will cooperate with the authorities in their investigation, he said.
Shanghai Husi should draw a lesson from the experience, and make improvements to its quality control and management, the administration said.
Experts have suggested the company is likely to face hefty fines and could lose its business license.
The scandal, which has embroiled several global food chains including McDonald’s, KFC, Pizza Hut, and Starbucks as well as Chinese businesses, was prompted by a local TV report a week ago which showed staff at Shanghai Husi using long-expired meat.
The TV report also alleged the firm of forging production dates.
Food safety is one of the top concerns of Chinese consumers after a scandal in 2008 where dairy products tainted with the industrial chemical melamine led to the deaths of six infants and made many thousands sick.
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