Taipei: Mega PX Mart, a branch of Taiwan’s largest supermarket chain, publicly apologized to an ex-lawmaker after she complained online that she had purchased a bag of rotten sweet potatoes.

According to Focus Taiwan, former Legislator Kao Chia-yu shared on her Facebook page that she had bought a bag of yellow sweet potatoes at a Mega PX Mart, only to find them rotten upon cutting them open. In her frustration, Kao attempted to contact the supermarket chain’s customer service, but her five consecutive calls went unanswered and were automatically disconnected.

In response to the criticism, Mega PX Mart issued a statement expressing its “deepest apologies” to the ex-lawmaker. The company also announced that it had removed the faulty sweet potatoes from its shelves and tightened its quality control procedures. The grocery chain mentioned that although its employees conduct a thorough inspection of each store’s fresh produce every morning, the sweet potatoes’ external appearance likely led them to overlook the quality issues.

Mega PX Mart also assured its customers that they could return or exchange any products as necessary. The brand, operated by PX Mart, became Taiwan’s largest supermarket chain following its acquisition of RT-Mart in 2022.

A report in Commonwealth Magazine in 2024 stated that after acquiring RT-Mart, PX Mart’s share of the grocery market in Taiwan rose to 41.3 percent.