Mega PX Mart apologizes to ex-lawmaker over rotten sweet potatoes

Taipei, Nov. 5 (CNA) Mega PX Mart, a branch of Taiwan's largest supermarket chain, publicly apologized to an ex-lawmaker Wednesday after she complained online that she had purchased a bag of rotten sweet potatoes.

In a post on her Facebook page Tuesday, former Legislator Kao Chia-yu (高嘉瑜) shared that she had purchased a bag of yellow sweet potatoes at a Mega PX Mart on Monday, only to cut them open and find that they were all rotten.

In frustration, Kao said, she placed five consecutive calls to the supermarket chain's customer service line, but each went unanswered and automatically disconnected.

In response to the criticism, Mega PX Mart issued a statement Wednesday expressing its "deepest apologies" to the ex-lawmaker, adding that it had removed the sweet potatoes from its shelves and tightened its quality control procedures.

The grocery chain said its employees conduct a thorough inspection of each store's fresh produce every morning, but had likely failed to notice the sweet potatoes' quality issues because they looked fine from the outside.

The grocery chain said it would help its customers return or exchange any products as needed.

Mega PX Mart is a brand operated by PX Mart, Taiwan's largest chain supermarket chain. It is the re-branded version of RT-Mart, whose Taiwan business PX Mart purchased in 2022.

According to a 2024 report in Commonwealth Magazine, following the acquisition of RT-Mart, PX Mart's share of the grocery market in Taiwan climbed to 41.3 percent.