Walmart branches in Shenzhen have taken canned beer made in Lithuania off the shelves after the city’s market watchdog had a complaint from a customer claiming expiration dates had been tampered with.
The customer, surnamed Qiu, alleged that the original expiration date on the can of Kalnapilis Royal Select beer he bought had been erased and replaced with a new date five months later.
Based on the evidence provided and available media reports, Shenzhen market regulator found out the erased production and expiration dates were May 5, 2020 to May 5, 2021, and was changed to October 5, 2020 to October 5, 2021, with suspicion that dates were changed to extended the product's shelf-life.
Walmart China removed all the products from its stores on May 11 after handing out import files of the beer including customs declarations and quarantine proofs to the regulator.
The beer in question was no longer on sale at Walmart supermarkets during a field inspection conducted by the Shenzhen regulator on May 14. The regulator also said the case was registered and the investigation to Walmart China would be conducted.
