An Ajisen Ramen restaurant in Beijing on Thursday Photo: IC

Despite being fined 786,600 yuan ($122,218) in May last year for illegally adding D-sorbitol solution to its products, Ajisen Ramen had not publicized the information to its shareholders as is required by law, China National Radio reported on Sunday.

The Shanghai Quality and Technical Supervision Administration confirmed on Saturday that the nonpoisonous additive D-sorbitol solution, banned from noodles by a January 4, 2010 Ministry of Health of China notice, had been found.

Shanghai Second Intermediate People's Court fined the noodle maker on May 6 last year. Nothing was announced in the company's annual report.

Even staff at Ajisen Ramen's China general management office, investor relations department and public relations department had no idea about the issue, according to the official radio channel.

Listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange on March 30, 2007, Ajisen Ramen is obliged to disclose important lawsuits to investors. 

The story follows in the wake of Ajisen Ramen being accused by media of lying about its soup ingredients. Instead of a broth made from pork bones, chain restaurants had used concentrates shipped from Japan and diluted them into soups, the Xinhua News Agency reported Wednesday.

Ajisen Ramen defended itself in an official statement on July 24 saying the concentrates were made from pork bone broth.

Hong Kong listed shares of Ajisen Ramen slumped following the statement.

The closing share price of Ajisen (China) fell 10.5 percent from 17.82 Hong Kong dollars ($2.29) on July 25 to 15.94 Hong Kong dollars on Thursday.