Shanghai's market watchdog recently exposed 10 typical cases of irregularities involving protective health items.
Yato (Shanghai) Co Ltd in the Pudong New Area is being investigated for selling facial masks that expired in February 2015, the Shanghai Administration for Market Regulation said. The masks also lacked Chinese-language labels.
Shanghai Heheng Industrial Science and Technology Co Ltd in Qingpu District was found fabricating the production date of its facial masks, the administration said.
One customer claimed to have bought masks from the company on January 28, while the production date on the packaging was listed as February 15, 2020, according to the administration.
Shanghai Yifeng Guangtai pharmacy in Pudong is being investigated for similar issues.
A consumer said disposable medical-use masks purchased at the drugstore on January 27 bear a production date of February 16, 2020, the administration said.
The case has been handed to police, according to the administration.
Meanwhile, an apparent facial mask workshop in the home of a farmer in Xinbang Town, Songjiang District, was busted with about 100,000 fake masks, large quantities of manufacturing materials and tools, according to the administration.
Shanghai Yixi Medical Apparatus and Instruments Co Ltd in Songjiang is investigated for selling multienzyme cleaning agent with an unregistered trademark.
Shanghai Lichuang New Material and Science and Technology Co Ltd in Jinshan District is being investigated for inflating the price of 3M masks to 398 yuan (US$57) per box, compared with about 60 yuan normally, the administration said. Such acts violate China's price law, authorities say.