SHANGHAI - A famous domestic brand of walnut kernels that was found to be made from returned products was still available in supermarkets in Shanghai as of Sunday.

The Shanghai Municipal Bureau of Quality and Technical Supervision said on Friday that Shanghai Sanming Foodstuff Co Ltd used returned products to make its AMing brand honey-coated walnut kernels, which were given a new manufacturing date before being put back on the shelf, the Xinhua News Agency reported.

The bureau imposed a 1.32 million yuan ($206,547) fine on the company after having seized the products and confiscated the unqualified ingredients. The bureau also ordered the company to recall all walnut kernels of that type.

Sanming is a well-known Chinese traditional snack producer with its popular AMing brand featuring roasted seeds and nuts such as sunflower seeds, watermelon seeds, peanuts and cashews.

According to its official website, the company's annual sales total hundreds of millions of yuan.

Despite the bureau's order, the company's honey-coated walnut kernels are still on the shelves of some Shanghai supermarkets.

In the Carrefour Zhongshan Park store, the 108 gram package of kernels, priced at 14.5 yuan, is still for sale.

A salesman said the store hadn't been told about the recall.

The product isn't currently available in AMing specialty stores.

A saleswoman at the AMing outlet in the Cloud Nine Shopping Mall said that the specialty stores haven't offered the packed roasted seeds and nuts for months, as they only sell products by weight.

"I haven't received any notice to stop selling the product," a sales representative surnamed Shen said. "In fact, the company hasn't briefed us about the situation yet."

China Daily

(China Daily 08/15/2011 page3)