LEADING bakery chain BreadTalk is reportedly among clients of a food company accused of systematically repackaging out-of-date ingredients and selling them.

    Worm-infested wheatmeal and butter two years past its expiry date were among shocking discoveries made by an undercover reporter at Hangzhou Guangqi Trade Co., in the Zhejiang Province city of Hangzhou.

    The claims were broadcast by the “3.15” news program on China Central Television (CCTV), marking Consumer Rights Day on Saturday.

    Hangzhou Guangqi sold out-of-date imported ingredients including flour, unsalted butter, pectin and margarine to bakeries and food companies after altering their expiry dates, the program claimed.

    Among items uncovered was six months out-of-date wheatmeal covered with mold and worms.

    The production date had been altered from January 2013 to Nov. 21 by a worker, who said 100 such packages could be sold in a day.

    In a refrigeration storage room, the reporter found blocks of butter two years past their expiry date.

    Workers had torn off, covered or cleaned off production date tags and applied new ones with bogus production dates, according to the report.

    The quality guarantee periods on inspection reports also were altered, according to the program.

    Hangzhou Guangqi Trade Co. supplies ingredients to clients including BreadTalk, CCTV reported. BreadTalk, a Singapore-based bakery chain, was expected to have 550 outlets across China this year.

    Other Hangzhou Guangqi clients include Hangzhou Meilong Food Co., which operates 89 bakeries, and Mu Bakery, said the program.

    Hangzhou Guangqi bought unsalted butter from Fuji Food Shanghai Co., an imported bakery ingredient wholesale company.

    Fuji sales manager Ding Wei said the Hangzhou company would purchase butter when it was near its expiry date.

    BreadTalk did not respond to the claims.

    The program also focused on complaints of photographers using the Nikon D600, who found their pictures were consistently ruined by mysterious black spots.

    The camera, known for its ultra-high resolution and high-quality photographs, cost around 10,000 yuan (US$1,630) when launched in 2012.

    Photographers said Nikon repair stores in Beijing and Hefei in Anhui Province told them the spots were caused by dust that got in the cameras.

    But users said they’d never changed the lens, and so were at a loss to see how dust could get in.

    In February 2013, Nikon insisted that dust was to blame and advised customers to take D600 cameras for checks and cleaning. However, many owners said cleanings had no effect.

    The Japanese photography giant later said it would change the shutter assembly free of charge in a bid to placate customers.

    But many complained that failed to solve the problem, too.

    Some users asked for an exchange or a refund, but the requests were rejected, the program reported.

    Nikon said cleaning and changing the shutter assembly are not repairs, and thus not covered by warranty.

    (SD-Agencies)