Market watchdogs act on violations

Walmart, Zuoting Youyuan, Gome, Metro and Carrefour have been punished by market watchdogs for violation of China's advertisement laws or quality flaws.  

Walmart East China Co Ltd was fined 90,000 yuan (US$13,103) by the market watchdog in the Pudong New Area. 

It claimed two linseed oil products branded alligga and Hongjingyuan sold on its online store on JD.com were low fat, according to the Pudong New Area Administration for Market Regulation. 

However, the nutrition labels of the two linseed oil showed they contained 93 grams of fat per 100 milliliters and 99.9 grams of fat per 100 grams, failing to meet the requirement and condition of low fat content based on China's relevant standard, the administration said. 

Walmart has deleted the illegal promotion content. 

Zuoting Youyuan, a beef hotpot chain restaurant in Shanghai, was fined 210,000 yuan by the market watchdog in Baoshan District for fake promotion. 

From the second half of 2017, the restaurant operator claimed its beef was freshly delivered and was original yellow cattle from Guizhou Province on its menu, soft decorations, and radio advertisements, according to the Baoshan Administration for Market Regulation.

About 10 beef dishes were involved. 

However, the restaurant operator started purchasing and serving three types of frozen beef from Canada and Shandong Province in June last year due to the short supply of the original beef, according to the administration.

The frozen beef was served at 17 outlets of the restaurant, while the advertising was not changed. 

About 240,000 menus and 700,000 meal promotions therefore had  fake content, according to the administration. 

The practice violated China's advertisement laws, which bans fake and misleading content of ads to cheat and mislead consumers.

The restaurant, which has 41 outlets in Shanghai, was ordered to rectify the situation immediately.

Home electrical appliance retailer Gome was fined 660,000 yuan by the market watchdog in Hongkou District for failure to review 22 illegal advertisements, which were published on Gome.com.cn.

Among these illegal ads, the Wanfahe Trade and Business Co Ltd in Sanhe city, Hebei Province, used health care and medical treatment terms such as "anti-fatigue," "enhancing immunity" and "curing premature ejaculation" to promote its essential oil, according to the Hongkou District Administration for Market Regulation. 

It also used wordings such as "good effect in treating arthrolithiasis and diabetes" and "curing premature ejaculation" to promote its spray, the administration found. 

However, both products were not registered as health products, or approved as medicine, meaning their health and medical treatment effect could not be promoted, the administration said. 

Both Gome and the company violated China's advertisement laws, the administration said. 

In addition, the Jinshan outlet of supermarket chain Metro was fined 10,000 yuan by the Jinshan District market watchdog after eggs it sold were found to have excessive use of florfenicol for antibacterial purpose. 

The Lianyang outlet of Carrefour in the Pudong New Area was fined more than 1,200 yuan by the market watchdog in Pudong for selling substandard hand warmers.