"Do Not Report to MFDS," Offered 1 Million Won
Lotteeria Says "Thoroughly Enforcing Quarantine"
A famous burger franchise has sparked controversy after a cockroach the size of an ice cube was found alive in a cola it sold, Yonhap News reported on the 19th.
According to the report, Mr. A visited a Lotteria in Gyeonggi Province around 6 p.m. on the 12th with his 8-year-old daughter. After finishing the cola he ordered, he opened the lid and saw a cockroach moving alive on the ice at the bottom. The insect was as large as an ice cube.
Mr. A immediately complained to the staff. Moreover, considering Lotteria is a large corporate franchise, he viewed the hygiene issue as serious and reported it to the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety. Mr. A stated, "I was offered compensation of 1 million won on the condition that I would not report to the Ministry, but I refused."
The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety confirmed the facts through an on-site inspection and decided to suspend the store's operations for five days. Hygiene violations in food establishments usually result in administrative measures such as correction orders or fines. Business suspension is a severe penalty imposed for serious matters.
Mr. A wrote in a store review, "It was a place I often visited and ordered delivery from, but after drinking almost all the cola, I looked into the cup while sucking the last sip through a straw and was shocked and disgusted. I became even angrier thinking about what if my daughter had drunk from that cup. Although there were no physical symptoms, the image of the insect keeps coming to mind and I feel nauseous."
He also emphasized, "I was really disappointed to see the store continuing business as if nothing had happened even after the insect was found."
A Lotteria representative said, "We regularly conduct pest control, but the building where the store is located is very old, so it seems cockroaches infiltrated. We inspected the store immediately after the insect was found, and although the business suspension was initially scheduled for early May, we requested the district office to move it up to this month."
They added, "During the suspension period, we plan to inspect and disinfect the store more thoroughly and will additionally suspend operations for two more days on our own to carry out pest control."
This is not the first hygiene controversy for Lotteria. Last year, a video circulated showing a person wearing a hat with the Lotteria logo smoking in the kitchen.
At that time, a Lotteria GRS official explained, "The location in the video is indeed a domestic Lotteria franchise. It was confirmed that two part-time workers who had finished their night shift filmed the video in the kitchen. They were immediately removed from their duties."
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