NESTLE has condemned the “illegal counterfeiting of food and beverage products” following reports out of China of a fake seasoning production hub in Tianjin; a major port city in the north-east.

According to a BBC article published yesterday (Tuesday), “nearly 50 factories (were) allegedly manufacturing fake versions of widely used food seasonings and sauces…The plants were using ingredients unfit for human consumption, like industrial salt, in seasonings including soy sauce and vinegar, the paper (Beijing News) said.
The products were labelled with brands including Maggi, Knorr, and Nestle.” The BBC report continued, “the seasonings, which include spices and chicken stock, are commonly used in Chinese cooking and can be widely found across Asia.

China has been rocked by various food scandals in recent years, with tainted milk powder killing six babies in 2008 and making more than 300,000 children ill.” Contacted by Newsday, Nestlé Trinidad and Tobago Limited’s Corporate Communications Manager Denise d’Abadie, said the company “condemns any counterfeiting of food and beverage products.

We take reports of potential counterfeiting in China, including Nestlé products and brands, very seriously.” “Nestlé China is working closely with the authorities to identify and take action against counterfeiters in order to protect consumers. Our experts are helping the authorities distinguish authentic Nestlé products from counterfeits. The alleged counterfeiting is limited to China and does not affect other countries,” d’Abadie stated.

BBC, citing Beijing News, said “Chinese food brands such as Totole and Donggu whose products were also faked, said they were either assisting investigations or conducting their own probes.”

newsday