Procter & Gamble says blocked Pringles shipment not intended for China market

Procter & Gamble said a small shipment of its Pringles-brand potato chips rejected by Chinese quality inspectors involved a product not designed for release in the China market.

Charles Zhang, a Guangzhou-based spokesman for the company, told XFN-Asia the shipment was rejected because it contained an additive banned in China - potassium bromate - but not in the US or Japan. "The batch of potato chips in question was not imported by one of our approved importers.

After it arrived at Zhuhai, inspectors there found it contained unauthorized additives. (The shipment) did not involve our licensed authorized importers, and was imported by a party unaffiliated with us,"Zhang said.