Wal-Mart Cited by China Food Inspectors on Oil, Squid

(Corrects spelling of province in second paragraph)

Wal-Mart Stores Inc. (WMT), the world’s largest retailer, was cited by the Beijing Food Safety Administration for selling sesame oil and squid with hazardous levels of chemicals.

The products were produced in March by companies in China’s Hebei and Shandong provinces, the Beijing Food Safety Administration said in a statement released June 13. The squid and sesame oil were removed from store shelves immediately, Wal- Mart spokeswoman Christina Lee said in an e-mail today.

“We urged the suppliers to strictly abide by relevant state regulations and supply products that meet all national standards,” Lee said.

China this week unveiled measures to improve food safety, including tighter supervision and harsh punishments for violators, according to the official Xinhua News Agency. Police in China arrested Wal-Mart workers in Chongqing in October amid a probe of allegations the retailer mislabeled ordinary pork as organic. They were released in May.

To contact the reporter on this story: Patrick Boehler in Hong Kong at pboehler@bloomberg.net

To contact the editor responsible for this story: Hwee Ann Tan at hatan@bloomberg.net