Best-selling whole wheat bread removed from Tmall after mislabeled calorie, carb counts

The best seller in the whole wheat bread category on Tmall, a major online shopping platform, has been taken off after the Shanghai Consumer Council found that the product touted as one to help keep fit contained more calories than labeled.

The calories of the sugar-free, oil-free whole wheat bread Tianyuan Zhuyi, or Arcadianism, were actually 1,001 kj per 100 grams, 1.31 times of what it labeled, the council said in an official announcement on Tuesday.

The carbohydrate amount of the bread actually tested at 38.8 g per 100 g, 1.16 times of what it was labeled, it added.

E-commerce platforms, including Tmall and JD, have taken the bread, which generated 200,000 orders each month, off the shelf.

"Consumers who wanted to lose weight will actually gain weight after eating the bread. Enterprises must abide by principles of honesty and being responsible for consumers when promoting their products," read the notice from the council.

The brand Tianyuan Zhuyi that was initiated two years ago is held by Nanyang Chuxin E-commerce Co Ltd and is aimed at young people pursuing healthy and low-calorie diets.

The brand defended itself in an official post that the test reports of the product were provided by the Henan Baixinda Detection Technology Ltd Co and the product's standard was in line with the country's laws and regulations.