Wal-mart accused of food safety violations in Beijing

Beijing’s Food Safety Administration said Thursday that Wal-mart (WMT.NYSE) has violated Chinese regulations governing food safety, the latest charges to hit the US retail giant after a pork labeling scandal last year, The Wall Street Journal reported. The government agency said Wal-mart sold sesame oil which contained illegally high levels of benzopyrene and squid with dangerous levels of cadmium. The chemicals are carcinogens and considered harmful to human health. The allegations came as part of China’s annual food safety week, when the government typically accuses foreign firms of violating regulations. Wal-mart did not respond directly to the allegations, but a spokesman said the firm “has a compliance structure in China that few other companies have.” Wal-mart closed 13 stores in Chongqing last fall when the local government accused the firm of mislabeling regular pork as organic, leading to two arrests and a RMB3.65 million (US$575,000) fine.