Food safety checks were carried out at Starbucks coffee shops in eight cities across the country. Credit: TR / Unsplash.

Regulators in China have reportedly conducted food safety checks over the alleged use of expired ingredients at Starbucks coffee shops in eight cities across the country.

Reuters reported that food safety issues were found at some Starbucks outlets in the country.

How well do you really know your competitors?

Access the most comprehensive Company Profiles on the market, powered by GlobalData. Save hours of research. Gain competitive edge.

Company Profile – free sample

Thank you!

Your download email will arrive shortly

Not ready to buy yet? Download a free sample

We are confident about the unique quality of our Company Profiles. However, we want you to make the most beneficial decision for your business, so we offer a free sample that you can download by submitting the below form

By GlobalData
Visit our Privacy Policy for more information about our services, how we may use, process and share your personal data, including information of your rights in respect of your personal data and how you can unsubscribe from future marketing communications. Our services are intended for corporate subscribers and you warrant that the email address submitted is your corporate email address.

The inspections were carried out after a local newspaper reported that two Starbucks outlets in Wuxi used expired ingredients in their drinks.

A video posted on Chinese social media platform Weibo showed a Starbucks employee changing an expiration date sticker on a chocolate sauce bottle.

Apologising for the incident, Starbucks said that it would conduct inspections and training across its stores in China.

The Suzhou market supervision bureau explained that they have inspected 226 Starbucks outlets in the city and identified 18 issues, including uncovered trash bins, Starbucks employees working without face masks, and irregularities in the sales and purchase records.

According to some local media reports, officials have also conducted food safety checks at Starbucks stores in Shanghai, Nanjing, Changsha, Wuxi, Hefei and Yinchuan.

However, the regulators who carried out checks in Shanghai and Hefei said that they could not identify any food safety-related issues at the Starbucks stores they visited.

Currently, Starbucks operates more than 5,000 stores across China, which is said to be its second-biggest market, following the US.

Earlier this month, Starbucks unveiled its plan to expand its footprint in Brazil by opening eight new stores in the country.

The new stores will be opened by SouthRock, a licensed operator of Starbucks stores in Brazil.