Sales of expired food fined

BEIJING - Authorities have determined that Wal-Mart and Carrefour stores in Changsha, capital of Hunan province, sold food products bearing altered production dates.

As a result, those businesses must surrender the suspect products and each pay a fine of 10,000 yuan ($1,568).

The city's market watchdog reported on Thursday that those punishments will be imposed even though the production dates in question were in fact altered by the suppliers of the food items.