In connection with the release of a video purporting to show a worker urinating on raw materials at a Tsingtao beer factory in China, the worker who appeared in the video was detained by public security authorities.
According to Reuters on the 1st, the government investigation team of Pingdu City, Shandong Province, China, said in a statement that the worker was detained on charges of intentionally damaging company assets.
Tsingtao Beer also issued a statement announcing the worker’s detention and admitting, “This incident revealed loopholes in our management of raw material transportation.”
“All raw material transport vehicles will be sealed to prevent employees from coming into contact with the raw materials,” he explained. “Internal management has been comprehensively strengthened and measures have been taken.”
He added, “We will strengthen human outsourcing management and strengthen factory monitoring using an artificial intelligence (AI) motion recognition system.”
Previously, on the 19th of last month, a video was posted on Chinese social media Weibo showing a man wearing a helmet and work clothes at Tsingtao Beer Factory 3 entering a storage area for malt, a raw material for beer, and causing a stir when it appeared to be urinating.
Tsingtao Beer explained that the workers in the video were not full-time employees, but workers from an outsourced company, and that the urinating area was not inside the factory, but outdoors, such as in the loading bay of a malt transport vehicle.
It was revealed that Qingdao sales in convenience stores plummeted immediately after the video was released. According to the convenience store industry on the 29th of last month, Tsingtao Beer slipped out of the top 5 in sales after the video was released. As of the 21st to 26th of last month, sales of Tsingtao beer at convenience store A decreased by 41.3% compared to the previous week.
The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety announced on the 21st of last month that the beer made at the factory in the video was for domestic consumption in China and was not imported into Korea. The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety explains that the factories that produce beer imported into the country are located in different regions.
Hyewon Lee, Donga.com
Source: Donga
Mark Jones is a world traveler and journalist for News Rebeat. With a curious mind and a love of adventure, Mark brings a unique perspective to the latest global events and provides in-depth and thought-provoking coverage of the world at large.