Nongfu Spring Co yesterday refuted the claim by Haikou city officials that two of its beverages were contaminated with the toxic chemical arsenic. The company has complained about the way local officials have handled the entire episode.
At a press briefing in Hangzhou, capital of Zhejiang province yesterday, Nongfu officials showed the results of tests done by the National Food Quality Supervision and Inspection Center (NFQSIC). The tests showed its products - Shuirong C100 in Grapefruit flavor (a water-soluble vitamin C beverage) and Nongfu Orchard 30% Mixed Fruit and Vegetable Juice - had below the accepted level of 0.2 mg of arsenic per liter.
"All of our products are definitely free of the poisonous chemical arsenic. We're going to make a claim for compensation from the local government," said Zhong Shanshan, chairman of Nongfu Spring, without elaborating on how much compensation the company will demand.
Haikou's Industrial & Commercial Administration Bureau posted a warning announcement to consumers on Nov 24 stating Nongfu Spring's Nongfu Orchard and Shuirong C100 manufactured by the company's Guangdong Wanluhu Co Ltd on June 27 and Aug 16, respectively, contained excess amounts of arsenic.
The announcement also included a warning about a beverage product made by Taiwan-based Uni-President Group containing excess amounts of arsenic.
Officials from the bureau could not be reached by China Daily yesterday. But a spokesman surnamed Gao from the Haikou bureau's superior counterpart - the Industrial & Commercial Administration Bureau of Hainan province - said that officials have already sent the products to NFQSIC for re-testing upon Nongfu Spring's objection to the result made by the Haikou bureau.
"We're still waiting for the outcome from the top inspection organization," Gao said.
Officials from the other implicated firm, Uni-President Group, said the Haikou bureau sent the re-inspection request to the top counterpart on Nov 28.
Questions:
1. What is alleged to have been found in Nongfu Spring Co’s beverages?
2. What Nongfu products were tested?
3. What Taiwan-based company is also being accused of having arsenic in its products?
Answers:
1. (The toxic chemical) arsenic.
2. Shuirong C100 in Grapefruit flavor (a water-soluble vitamin C beverage) and Nongfu Orchard 30% Mixed Fruit and Vegetable Juice.
3. Uni-President Group.
(中国日报网英语点津 Helen 编辑)
About the broadcaster:
Nancy Matos is a foreign expert at China Daily Website. Born and raised in Vancouver, Canada, Nancy is a graduate of the Broadcast Journalism and Media program at the British Columbia Institute of Technology. Her journalism career in broadcast and print has taken her around the world from New York to Portugal and now Beijing. Nancy is happy to make the move to China and join the China Daily team.