China’s national market supervision authority has summoned top executives from Walmart (China) Investment Co., the operator of Sam’s Club outlets across the country, over persistent food safety lapses on its online and offline sales channels. The State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR) made the official announcement this Monday, confirming the administrative interview targeting the high-end membership retail brand.
As the upscale membership retail arm of US retail giant Walmart, Sam’s Club has been ordered by regulators to fully abide by China’s Food Safety Law, alongside two key regulatory provisions governing food safety accountability for chain food retailers and online food business operators.
The regulatory authority laid out clear requirements for the brand: to enhance internal food safety awareness, fully deliver on its primary operational safety obligations, proactively undertake corporate social responsibilities, eliminate potential safety hazards throughout its whole supply chain, and firmly protect public food safety and consumer interests.
In immediate response to the official regulatory interview, Sam’s Club China released an official statement on the same day, offering a formal response to the exposed problems. The brand stated that it has duly received regulatory guidance, fully recognized the existing flaws, conducted in-depth self-reflection, and will earnestly implement all rectification directives put forward by authorities. It also issued a sincere apology to its members for the worries and inconveniences brought by the repeated safety incidents.
In its official statement delivered to the Global Times, Sam’s Club China revealed concrete remedial measures. The company has set up a special senior-level rectification team to conduct full-scale self-inspections and comprehensive overhauls covering all business channels and every link of its supply chain. Moving forward, it pledged to strictly adhere to national laws and regulations, tighten supervision over food safety and product quality, uphold the fundamental bottom line of food safety, and optimize its service experience for members.
Additionally, the brand promised to submit regular progress reports on its rectification work to regulatory bodies and voluntarily subject its operations to public oversight. It also expressed gratitude for the regulatory guidance and the long-term trust and support from its member customers.
This regulatory intervention follows widespread media exposure of multiple food safety incidents at Sam’s Club physical stores over the past few months.
One high-profile incident took place in December 2025 in Shenzhen, Guangdong Province. A local customer discovered a live mouse inside a box of mochi purchased from the store, which quickly sparked heated discussions across Chinese social media platforms. Sam’s Club issued a public apology shortly after the incident. At that time, the retailer stressed that it prioritizes product safety and member experience, and had partnered with a professional pest control company to carry out full supply chain inspections right after receiving the customer’s complaint.
