A batch of black sesame paste produced by a subsidiary of Chinese food giant Weiwei Co. has been recalled after inspectors found mold levels as high as 27 times the maximum permitted under China’s national food-safety standard.
The findings have drawn attention in China not only because Weiwei is a well-known household food brand, but also because the publicly traded company is ultimately controlled by the state-owned assets authority of Xuzhou, Jiangsu Province.
Mold levels far above national standard
The Shanghai Municipal Administration for Market Regulation disclosed the violation in its 25th provincial food-safety inspection report of 2026.
Regulators tested 1,870 batches of food across 17 categories, finding seven that failed to meet safety standards. Among them was a 320-gram bag of Weiwei No-Added-Sugar Black Sesame Paste produced by Weiwei Huashan Walnut Industry Co., a wholly owned subsidiary of Weiwei Co.
The affected batch was manufactured on Aug. 13, 2025, and sold by a retailer in Shanghai’s Minhang District.
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According to a Xinhua Finance report on the inspection results, mold readings from five samples measured 330, 2,800, 1,500, 1,800 and 1,700 colony-forming units per gram, or CFU/g.
Under China’s national standard for instant cereal products, none of the five samples may exceed 100 CFU/g. The highest reading in the Weiwei batch was therefore 27 times above the maximum limit.
Chinese food-industry analyst Zhu Danpeng said the findings pointed to weaknesses extending beyond a single stage of production.
“This reflects relatively significant gaps in Weiwei’s overall quality-control system,” Zhu said, according to 21st Century Business Herald.
Zhu said large listed food companies should maintain controls covering raw materials, manufacturing, warehousing, transportation and after-sales management, adding that such a large excess could reflect problems across multiple stages.
Company says affected batch was recalled
On Sept. 24, customer service for Weiwei’s official flagship store said the company had already recalled and disposed of the affected batch.
The representative said the products involved were no longer being sold and that products currently on the market had undergone testing, according to a report carried by Sina Finance.
Weiwei is one of China’s long-established food brands and is best known for soy milk powder and other instant beverages.
The company also has significant state ownership. According to Weiwei’s 2025 annual report, its parent company is Xuzhou Xincheng Investment Holding Group, while its ultimate controlling entity is the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission of the Xuzhou municipal government.
As of June 30, Xuzhou Xincheng held about 30.9 percent of Weiwei’s shares, according to the company’s 2026 interim report.
News of the failed inspection generated sharp criticism on Chinese social media, with users questioning how much of the affected product may have been consumed before the recall and calling for stronger enforcement against food manufacturers.
Recent cases add to food-safety concerns
The Weiwei case follows several other food-safety incidents reported in China in recent weeks.
In August, a video from Kangbao County in Hebei Province showed Chinese cabbage being dipped in formaldehyde solution before being loaded onto trucks for transportation.
Local authorities subsequently confirmed that the practice shown in the video had taken place. A buyer had illegally used formaldehyde in an effort to preserve the cabbage during transportation, according to the local government.
The case prompted a wider response. China’s State Council Food Safety Office, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs and State Administration for Market Regulation ordered investigations, distribution tracing and inspections of perishable vegetables, according to the State Administration for Market Regulation.
Another case emerged in Guangdong Province in September after a blogger alleged that businesses in Qingyuan were using sulfur to fumigate bamboo shoots.
The Qingyuan Municipal Administration for Market Regulation said on Sept. 18 that investigators had confirmed illegal sulfur fumigation at some locations.
“The situation reflected in the video is true,” the regulator said in its notice, according to a statement published by Xinhua.
Authorities said they sealed the affected raw materials and products, while police took measures against people involved in the operation and investigators began tracing where the bamboo shoots had been distributed.
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