Authorities in northern China have ordered a Coca-Cola bottling plant shut after finding its products were contaminated by chlorine, according to a government statement.
Shanxi Province ordered an investigation after media reports that a batch of drinks contained water with higher levels of chlorine, the province’s quality bureau said at the weekend.
PRODUCTION STOPPED
A receptionist at Coca-Cola Shanxi Beverages Co (可口可樂山西公司) yesterday confirmed that the plant had stopped production, but declined further comment.
Coca-Cola in China could not be reached yesterday, a public holiday.
The contamination occurred in February when water with small amounts of chlorine accidentally flowed into water used for drinks during maintenance work, Xinhua news agency said on Sunday.
WHSTLEBLOWER
An anonymous company whistleblower told local media that nine batches of products were contaminated, it said.
Xinhua quoted an official at the Shanxi plant as saying that its products were safe and did not present a threat to human health.
hazardous
Chlorine is used in water treatment to kill bacteria, but high levels can be hazardous.
China has experienced several scares over food safety in recent years, many blamed on lax supervision or producers deliberately cutting corners and deceiving consumers in search of profits.
GROWTH MARKET
China is one of Coca-Cola’s most important growth markets, accounting for about 7 percent of its global volume last year, the US company said.
Coca-Cola has said it plans to invest more than US$4 billion in China over the next three years starting from this year.
The company has more than 40 bottling plants in China, where it cooperates with Chinese food giant COFCO (中國糧油食品集團) and Hong Kong conglomerate Swire Pacific.
The domestic unit of the Chinese-owned, Dutch-headquartered chipmaker Nexperia BV will soon be able to produce semiconductors locally within China, according to two company sources. Nexperia is at the center of a global tug-of-war over critical semiconductor technology, with a Dutch court in February ordering a probe into alleged mismanagement at the company. The geopolitical tussle has disrupted supply chains, with some carmakers reportedly forced to cut production due to chip shortages. Local production would allow Nexperia’s domestic arm, Nexperia Semiconductors (China) Ltd (安世半導體中國), to bypass restrictions in place since October on the supply of silicon wafers — etched with tiny components to
Singapore-based ride-hailing and delivery giant Grab Holdings Ltd has applied for regulatory approval to acquire the Taiwan operations of Germany-based Delivery Hero SE's Foodpanda in a deal valued at about US$600 million. Grab submitted the filing to the Fair Trade Commission on Friday last week, with the transaction subject to regulatory review and approval, the company said in a statement yesterday. Its independent governance structure would help foster a healthy and competitive market in Taiwan if the deal is approved, Grab said. Grab, which is listed on the NASDAQ, said in the filing that US-based Uber Technologies Inc holds about 13 percent of
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) yesterday received government approval to deploy its advanced 3-nanometer (3nm) process at its second fab currently under construction in Japan, the Ministry of Economic Affairs said in a news release. The ministry green-lit the plan for the facility in Kumamoto, which is scheduled to start installing equipment and come online in 2028 with a monthly production capacity of 15,000 12-inch wafers, the ministry said. The Department of Investment Review in June 2024 authorized a US$5.26 billion investment for the facility, slated to manufacture 6- to 12nm chips, significantly less advanced than 3nm process. At a meeting with
Taiwan’s food delivery market could undergo a major shift if Singapore-based Grab Holdings Ltd completes its planned acquisition of Delivery Hero SE’s Foodpanda business in Taiwan, industry experts said. Grab on Monday last week announced it would acquire Foodpanda’s Taiwan operations for US$600 million. The deal is expected to be finalized in the second half of this year, with Grab aiming to complete user migration to its platform by the first half of next year. A duopoly between Uber Eats and Foodpanda dominates Taiwan’s delivery market, a structure that has remained intact since the Fair Trade Commission (FTC) blocked Uber Technologies Inc’s
RSS