Prosecutors in Shenzhen, China are taking a public interest lawsuit against a well-known seafood restaurant in the city for repeatedly selling product contaminated with chemicals including chloromycetin.
In a move that appears designed as a warning to the retail and restaurant sector, the case is being taken against Shenzhen 79 Yu Chuan Food and Beverage Co. based on several inspections of seafood – mostly shellfish – at its outlet in the city’s Luohu entertainment district. Chloromycetin is used as an anti-bacterial agent in aquaculture.
The inspections took place in February and March 2016 but the case is only now finding its way into the court system, after having been greenlighted by provincial authorities.
In an interview with local media, public prosecutor Liu Jing Wei said his office had researched the case extensively before deciding to proceed. The case is set to be heard at the Shenzhen Intermediate People’s Court, on a date as yet unannounced.
The case will likely dent public confidence in traditional restaurants and wet markets, which are steadily bleeding customers to a new generation of online-to-offline retailers like Hema Xiansheng, which have made traceability and healthy produce – and in-store cooking – their key marketing tools.
Photo courtesy of TripAdvisor
