Recently, over 50,000 cases of Jinluo brand ham sausages were ordered off shelves by the Henan Provincial Administration for Industry and Commerce for allegedly imitating the distinctive packaging of Shuanghui brand ham sausages. Heilongjiang had also previously removed some products.

According to reliable sources, more than a dozen Jinluo ham sausage products are on the removal list, including Jinluo's "Wangzhongwang," "Crispy Sausage," and "Instant Noodle Companion."

The reporter learned that the large-scale removal was due to suspected imitation of Shuanghui's unique name, packaging, and decoration, which may violate the Anti-Unfair Competition Law.

Some merchants in Heilongjiang and Jilin received written removal notices

"The leads were issued by the provincial bureau (Heilongjiang Provincial Administration for Industry and Commerce) to the city and county bureaus," said one source. Currently, some merchants have received written notices from relevant government departments.

For example, the Raohe County Market Supervision Bureau issued notices to supermarkets and stores, stating that the Jinluo ham sausages sold by merchants were suspected of imitating Shuanghui's packaging and decoration, violating the Anti-Unfair Competition Law, and requiring them to explain the source and quantity of the goods.

Some merchants also received verbal notices from relevant government departments.

"The verbal notice came around late April or early May," said a supermarket owner surnamed Han in Heilongjiang Province during an interview.

After receiving the notice from the Administration for Industry and Commerce, Mr. Han removed the involved Jinluo ham sausages from the shelves.

"They are still in the store, but we are not allowed to sell them," Mr. Han said. "Since the day they were removed, no one from Jinluo has contacted us, and we don't know how to handle these goods."

Over 50,000 cases of Jinluo ham sausages removed

"The Jinluo ham sausages in our store were removed on September 20th, including Wangzhongwang, Instant Noodle Companion, and Corn Hot Dog, a total of five types (of Jinluo ham sausage products), with about 100 cases removed. Since my store is small and sells fewer Jinluo sausages, the total is not large," said a supermarket owner surnamed Liu in Lingbao City during an interview.

It is understood that the removed Jinluo products include 13 ham sausage varieties: Jinluo's "Instant Noodle Companion," "Corn Hot Dog," "Spicy Crispy Sausage," "Taiwanese Mini Grilled Sausage," "Coconut Fruit Grilled Sausage," "Russian Earl Red Sausage," "Garlic Fragrant Crispy Sausage," "Big Food Bag Garlic Sausage," "Jinluo Wangzhongwang (new and old versions)," "Moist Corn Sweet King," "Q Xiang," and "Special Product Meat Flower King."

▲ Comparison of Shuanghui and Jinluo products ▲ Comparison of "Marco Polo" with "New Mark King" and "Polomia"

According to the "Order for Rectification" provided by the aforementioned supermarket owner surnamed Liu, the Jinluo products were removed because "the unit sells Jinluo brand ham sausages that imitate the unique name, packaging, and decoration of Shuanghui brand ham sausages, violating the Anti-Unfair Competition Law, and is therefore ordered to suspend sales."

By compiling the quantities of products removed by interviewed supermarket owners, the reporter learned that as of now, over 50,000 cases of Jinluo ham sausages have been removed, with the most removed product being Jinluo's Wangzhongwang.

Several interviewed supermarket owners all stated that Jinluo ham sausages indeed "look very similar to Shuanghui ham sausages" in appearance.

"Basically, whenever Shuanghui launches a new product, Jinluo soon follows with a similar one. For example, Shuanghui originally had Q Sausage, and Jinluo came out with Q Xiang, with names and packaging colors very close to Shuanghui's," said the aforementioned supermarket owner surnamed Liu.

Market survey: Over 90% of consumers mistake Jinluo for Shuanghui ham sausages

According to a market survey report provided by Zhengzhou Shiqun Market Research Company, when the names of the 13 suspected imitating Jinluo ham sausages were blurred out and consumers were asked to identify the brand, among over 300 randomly surveyed consumers, more than 90% answered Shuanghui brand ham sausages.

"Actually, there's no need for a survey; everyone can guess this result. In our daily sales, customers often grab the wrong sausages. Some leave and come back when they see the name is wrong, and others eat them at home, find the taste off, and come to complain. After our explanation, they realize they picked up the wrong one—they meant to get Shuanghui but got Jinluo," a supermarket owner surnamed Wang in Zhongmu County, Henan Province, told reporters.

Jinluo products forced to change packaging

As Shuanghui intensifies its crackdown on imitating products, the number of Jinluo ham sausage products removed from shelves is increasing. To avoid removal, Jinluo has begun changing the packaging of some of its ham sausage products suspected of infringement.

According to reliable sources, Jinluo has currently changed the packaging of 7 products: Jinluo's "Corn Hot Dog Sausage," "Instant Noodle Companion," "Wangzhongwang," "Q Xiang," "Taiwanese Mini Grilled Sausage," "Calcium-Added Special Fragrant King," and "Spicy Crispy Sausage."

As of the time of writing, the newly packaged Jinluo ham sausages have entered the market for normal sales. According to interviewed supermarket owners, the new packaging of Jinluo products is now noticeably different from Shuanghui's packaging.

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Click the links below to review the highlights of the 1st and 2nd FMCG + Internet Conferences: 2016 "FMCG + Internet" Summit Forum -END-