Local food & beverage establishments assessed fines

A coffee company and a hotpot restaurant in Shanghai were assessed administrative penalties recently by Shanghai's market regulators.

Belray Coffee was fined 300,000 yuan (US$46,980) by the Jing'an District Administration for Market Regulation for false promotion.

The Shanghai-registered company claimed its coffee beans undergo carbon dioxide release for 14 days after roasting while grinding in fact started 24 hours after roasting, an investigation revealed.

The claim constituted false promotion, according to the administration.

In another case, an outlet of the hotpot chain Xiabu Xiabu in Hongkou District was fined 5,000 yuan for violation of China's food safety law.

Milk tea made by the outlet on Zhongshan Road N2 was found to contain high amounts of bacteria, according to the Hongkou District Administration for Market Regulation.