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Heinz to tighten supplier controls in China

Beijing - US foodmaker HJ Heinz said on Tuesday it will tighten controls over ingredients suppliers in China after it was forced to recall some infant food products from Chinese store shelves due to excess levels of lead.

The company, known globally for its ketchup and baked beans, made the announcement as it sought to contain the potential damage to its reputation in a country where consumers are highly sensitive to food safety after a series of high-profile scares.

Read: Food scare tests loyalty to fast food brands

Heinz told Reuters on Monday that it had recalled four batches of its AD Calcium Hi-Protein Cereal for infants after a food watchdog in eastern China found levels of the toxic heavy metal above regulation standards.

Supply chains issues in China have come under increased scrutiny, with KFC-parent Yum Brands, Walmart Stores and McDonald's all recently facing food safety issues with suppliers.

Heinz will draft stricter systems for regulating ingredient suppliers and improve traceability and food safety control measures along its supply chain, the US company said in a post on its official Sina Weibo microblog on Tuesday.

Affected products had been sealed and would would be destroyed under regulator guidance, it added.

An official at the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in Zhejiang province declined to give details on the levels of lead in the Heinz cereal, but said that it would release further information about the case in the coming days.

Standard levels for infant products should be below 0.2 milligrams per kg, according to a 2010 government report.

Heinz, which was bought out by Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway Inc and private equity firm 3G Capital last year, said the recall was a precautionary measure.

The company added that the high lead level was caused "accidentally" by a supplier who had provided a skimmed soybean powder ingredient used in the batch of cereal.

"This relates to an isolated regional withdrawal in eastern China," company spokesperson Michael Mullen said in emailed comments to Reuters. "Extensive testing confirmed that no other Heinz baby food varieties are affected."

Heinz did not respond to phone and email requests for further comment on Tuesday.

Also read: Heinz recalls batches of infant food in China

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