Bubble tea is undeniably a popular drink, with many brands jumping on the bandwagon to sell this beverage to the public. However, since they’re serving food and beverages, it’s important that their ingredients are safe for consumption. A famous bubble tea chain in China known as Tealand was recently shut down for investigation after they were exposed for unhygienic practices.
Source: Unscrambled
According to Sina, Tealand was exposed after a local television reporter went undercover to work as a staff member in one of the Beijing outlets and was shocked to find that the workers were using rotten fruit to make drinks for customers. She had joined the team and was filming their horrifying practices secretly.
It seems that the store manager not only instructed them to use rotten fruits but did not care whether the workers practised good hygiene when preparing drinks for customers. From the footage shown, staff members were also seen handling equipment using their bare hands after they had touched rubbish or used their mobile phone.
Source: Youtube
Source: Youtube
Source: Youtube
They were cutting fruit without gloves as well and didn’t bother to wash dirty equipment. Instead, they just picked up a dirty spoon from the sink to mix the drinks. The manager also advised them to use water in the drinks, to maximise profits. In addition, the store manager told them to continue using unsold juices in the fridge and insisted that every fruit must be used even though it was all rotten.
When the reporter was taught how to make a drink, she was given mangoes that were obviously off-colour and mushy with a weird smell, she was told to continue using it. “Put it in the fridge to get rid of the smell and mix it with the good one,” one colleague told her. She only spotted one good mango there. Even the juices left on the chopping board were poured inside the cup to be used in the drink!
Source: Youtube
Source: Youtube
Bananas that were rotten and black were also used for some of Tealand’s famous drinks. Watermelons and kiwis that were turning black were kept in the fridge for days and used for drinks that were sold to unsuspecting customers. The shocked reporter asked some of her colleagues and one of them said she felt bad for giving out rotten fruit juices, especially to a child.
“I was going to swap it out with good fruit, but the shop manager made me use the bad one instead. It doesn’t sit well with my conscience. I feel evil. I used to like milk tea. Now give it to me free also I won’t drink it,” the colleague said. Netizens were horrified by this revelation and the authorities quickly took action once the footage was made public.
Source: Sina
Tealand has since closed down the outlet in Beijing and launched investigations into all 33 outlets. The Hangzhou headquarters of Tealand also put up a statement on their website, where they admitted their mistake and apologised, saying that they will cooperate with the investigations and accept their due punishment.
Watch the video here:
Hopefully, the bubble tea chains in Malaysia have better practices for their drinks!
Also read: Expert Says People Who Line Up For Bubble Tea Lack Self-Confidence And Sense of Security
