Local juice machines are squeaky clean
An official with the Songjiang District Market Supervision and Management Bureau checks an orange juice vending machine.
Songjiang District market watchdog conducted spot checks on Monday into a Shanghai company which operates orange juice vending machines after action by authorities in Shenzhen in south China's Guangdong Province.
Songjiang Market Supervision and Management Bureau found no problems with the vending machines, and officials suggested different results were because of different testing methods.
Geant Investment, owner of Vingoo vending machines, was fined 1.2 million yuan (US$177,252) by Shenzhen Market Inspection Bureau, after some components of the machines which came into contact with orange juice were ruled to be in breach of standards.
The components referred to two claws made of aluminum alloy and a piece of polypropylene on the top of the upper claw, officials with Songjiang Market Supervision and Management Bureau said.
Tests found that the polypropylene came into contact with the juice but the claws only touched the orange peel, said Gao Guoliang, director of the food manufacturing department of the bureau.
Polypropylene is obviously not aluminum alloy and therefore does not need an organic coating, said Gao.
Officials in Shenzhen viewed the polypropylene as part of the claws, while Shanghai authorities tested them separately.
"We conducted an investigation immediately, and both on-the-spot and laboratory tests showed the machines were up to standard," said Gao.
