Major Consumer Rights Infringement Cases in 2012

- In February, media reports in Harbin, the capital of northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, stated that the popular drink Red Bull contained ingredients not registered with the then State Food and Drug Administration (SFDA). The ingredients include sodium benzoate, a preservative, when combined with caffeine, may produce a substance considered an A-class drug for psychiatric treatment. An overdose of the substance could cause headaches, stress, anxiety and addiction.

- A report by CCTV revealed that several commonly used drugs were packed into capsules made from industrial gelatin, which contains a much higher degree of chromium than edible gelatin.

- Greenpeace said that according to its own investigation, it found that tea bags sold in China by Unilever's Lipton brand contained unsafe levels of pesticide residue.

- On November 21, the Hunan Bureau of Quality and Technical Supervision said that it detected plasticizers in samples of Jiugui liquor. The announcement followed a media report saying that Jiugui liquor contains excessive and toxic plasticizers which could cause liver cancer.

- In December, some poultry farmers in east China's Shandong Province were found to have used excessive amounts of growth-boosting drugs in their chickens, which were then supplied to fast-food giants like KFC. Some chickens were found to be given drugs banned by the SFDA.

- The number of phishing websites— fake sites aimed at acquiring personal information—is on the rise in China. Data from the China Internet Network Information Center show nearly 14,000 phishing websites were detected in the first half of 2012, 80 percent of which masqueraded as sites belonging to financial institutions and news media.

Latest Efforts in Defending Consumer Rights

- In March 2012, the State Administration for Industry and Commerce issued a guideline about stricter regulations on online group buying, requiring such sites to shoulder more responsibility in inspecting products and services.

- From March to April 2012, Chinese police launched a crackdown on the illegal production and sale of recycled waste cooking oil. On August 28, 2012, Ningbo Intermediate People's Court held hearings on a case about the illegal processing and selling of gutter oil, the first such case in the country.

- On December 28, 2012, the Standing Committee of the 11th National People's Congress (NPC), China's top legislature, passed a decision on strengthening online information protection. The decision, as legally binding as a law, is intended to better protect the privacy of Internet users and provide a legal basis for safeguarding online information.

- On January 1, 2013, the Management Regulations on Recalling Faulty Vehicles was implemented. According to the regulations, if there is a defect that may compromise safety, the production, sale and importing of such vehicles should be suspended and the producer must initiate a recall.