Reuters.- Food safety concerns were found at more than a dozen Starbucks outlets in the Chinese city of Suzhou, regulators said this morning, a day after the American coffee chain was criticized for violations at two outlets in another. location.
Suzhou’s market supervision bureau said on its official WeChat account that it had inspected all 226 Starbucks stores in the city after a report by the Beijing News newspaper said that two chain stores in Wuxi had used expired ingredients in their drinks.
The bureau said it found problems in 18 stores in Suzhou, including “irregular” sales and purchase records, uncovered garbage cans and employees working without masks.
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Starbucks had apologized late Monday for the violations at its Wuxi stores and It said it would carry out inspections and staff training at its more than 5,000 stores in China.
Chinese consumers and media have become more aggressive in protecting customer rights and controlling the behavior of big brands, especially foreign ones.
China is the largest market for Starbucks outside the United States, with 5,360 stores as of Oct. 3, the company’s latest earnings report showed.
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