A piece of plastic found in juice drunk by son... Cafe headquarters "Sincerely apologize"

Plastic Pieces Found in Drinks at Famous Franchise Cafes
Consumers Suffer from Stomach Pain, Vomiting, and High Fever
Headquarters States "Training Conducted... Will Assist in Recovery"

Controversy has arisen after foreign substances were found in beverages from a famous franchise cafe with so many branches that they can be found on every street corner. The consumer who ingested the beverage is currently receiving hospital treatment.

A piece of plastic was found in a beverage made at a famous franchise cafe.
[Photo by Yonhap News]

On the 14th, Yonhap News reported that shredded plastic was found in a tangerine juice from a famous franchise cafe. According to the report, a couple, Mr. and Mrs. A, residing in Sejong City, ordered a drink from the cafe around 9 p.m. on the 8th. Later, while their 5-year-old son was drinking the franchise cafe’s tangerine juice, the couple felt a foreign object stuck in their throat after taking a sip. Mrs. A initially thought the foreign object was fruit peel, but after spitting it out to check, it turned out to be finely shredded pieces of plastic that appeared to have been ground up.

The son had already consumed about one-third of the beverage. Both Mrs. A and their son, who drank the tangerine juice, began suffering from abdominal pain and vomiting from the next night. They were diagnosed at the hospital with acute enteritis, gastritis, and unspecified abdominal pain, respectively. They even developed high fever symptoms and are currently undergoing outpatient treatment.

The couple suspects that the plastic entered the drink during the process of making the beverage, where tangerines stored in plastic were put into a blender. They reported the incident to the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety. Mr. A said, "How can someone put plastic into a drink meant for people and blend it together?" He added, "I feel betrayed because I trusted and bought it naturally." He continued, "It would have been better if we had gotten sick from spoiled food, but I feel guilty as a parent not knowing how many microplastics entered my child’s body." He also said, "We are just scared about what effects microplastics might have on my wife and child’s bodies, and it is very unfair that the franchise store is still openly operating."

A video showing a part-time worker at the controversial franchise cafe preparing a beverage. This is not directly related to the recent incident.
[Photo by YouTube capture]

The franchise store issued an official statement saying, "We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience caused to the customer," and added, "We have sent a corrective action request to the store and conducted training to improve the menu preparation management level." They bowed their heads and said, "We will do our best to thoroughly manage franchise stores and ensure no harm comes to the customer." The franchise store owner apologized to the customer and is processing insurance claims for the negligence. The franchise, having secured the store’s closed-circuit television (CCTV), partially acknowledged the possibility that plastic used to store fruit in portions during the manufacturing process may have been mixed in.

■ How to Respond When Foreign Substances Are Found in Food

1. Take photos of the food with the foreign substance and the foreign substance itself.
- Record the situation when the foreign substance was found to accurately investigate the cause of contamination.
- Example: Found while cutting pizza, found immediately after opening delivery food packaging, etc.
2. Store the foreign substance carefully in a zipper bag or airtight container.
- Keep the foreign substance safe from loss or damage until it is submitted to the investigation agency.
3. Report to the company or 1399.
- Submit the found foreign substance to the investigation agency for smooth cause investigation.
- Investigation agencies (Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, local governments) conduct cause investigations and notify the results directly.
4. False reporting of foreign substance discovery may result in imprisonment for up to one year or a fine of up to 10 million KRW.