(Yicai Global) May 16 -- Authorities in Shanghai have found that sausage on sale at Alibaba's grocery chain Hema Fresh contains up to 85 times the allowed number of coliforms, a broad class of bacteria that can indicate the presence of harmful, disease-causing organisms.

The eastern Chinese city's market supervisory authority found the bacteria in five samples of iberico sausage exceeded the limit by between 14 times and 85 times, Shanghai Observer reported today.

Coliform groups exist in the intestines of humans and animals and serve as an indicator of food contamination by feces, food safety experts said, adding that excessive amounts will probably endanger human health since the feces may contain some pathogenic bacteria besides normal ones.

Hema Fresh's Shanghai outlets have been punished by food regulators for violating food safety over 20 times since January last year with coliform the most frequent issue.