SHENZHEN’S market supervision authority will impose heavy fines on two companies that sold food products produced in radiation-hit areas of Japan, according to a report of the Shenzhen Special Zone Daily.

    An investigation showed that the two companies, Shenzhen YKS Science and Technology Co. Ltd. and Shenzhen Dolphin Cross-border Technology Co. Ltd., had sold 245,857 packets of Calbee oatmeal worth a total of 11.3 million yuan (US$1.64 million) over seven months prior to March 8. The food, sourced from a Japanese county, is banned from entering China due to concerns about radioactive contamination.

    According to China’s food safety law, authorities should impose a fine of 15-30 times the value of the product, and confiscate any illegal income. The 30,000 packets of Calbee oatmeal remaining in warehouses in Tianjin, Hong Kong and Hangzhou will be confiscated.

    The investigation showed that YKS organized the Calbee oatmeal business through Shenzhen Dolphin Cross-border Technology Co. Ltd. and its subsidiaries in Hong Kong, Tianjin and Hangzhou.

    YKS’s subsidiary in Japan and Dolphin’s subsidiary in Hong Kong purchased Calbee oatmeal in Japan.

    Shenzhen Dolphin Cross-border Technology Co. Ltd. and a cross-border e-commerce logistics center were responsible for selling products from overseas and in bonded warehouses to Chinese customers.

    Shenzhen Dolphin Cross-border Technology Co. Ltd. even modified its website at haitun.hk and its app to evade punishment after their crimes were exposed.

    The market supervision authority on Thursday also initiated an investigation into two stores in Shenzhen run by the brand Muji, for allegedly selling products that originated from an area of Tokyo where high levels of radiation had been detected.

    In an inspection Feb. 22, the two stores couldn’t provide certificates of origin, customs declaration documents or taxation certificates. The information about the Japanese manufacturers was intentionally covered with Chinese-language labels, which failed to specify the origin of the products.

    (Han Ximin)