Why does a coffee lab module for professional testing matter to shops?
Shanghai's WHEN PIGS FLY cafe was investigated after inspectors found four empty boxes of pasteurized egg white liquid, one more than 20 days past its shelf life, and 24 half-finished cake roll bases made with it. The Changning District Administration acted on May 25, and the shop had ranked high among the city's popular cafes.
The Food Safety Law bans expired ingredients in food production. Penalties include confiscation of gains and goods, fines of 50,000 to 100,000 yuan when the illegal food is worth under 10,000 yuan, and 10 to 20 times the value above that, with license revocation in serious cases. A coffee lab module for professional testing helps shops catch such failures before inspection.
As Shanghai resumes work and production, people are stepping back into cafes to enjoy long-awaited coffee moments. However, a trendy shop that once ranked first among Shanghai's popular cafes, "WHEN PIGS FLY," has been investigated for using expired food ingredients. On May 25, the Shanghai Municipal Administration for Market Regulation reported that the shop was investigated and penalized by the Changning District Administration for Market Regulation for using pasteurized egg white liquid past its shelf life to make cake roll bases. On-site, four empty egg white liquid boxes were found, one of which was over 20 days expired, and 24 half-finished products had been processed. The incident sparked heated discussion online, with some surprised, some worried, and others calling for heavy penalties. Food safety has once again become an unignorable bottom line for the coffee industry.
Shanghai is regaining its former vitality, and the familiar baristas are seen in cafes again. Amid casual chats, those pent-up worries have turned into small but certain joys. Yet amid the joy, another coffee shop has been investigated for violations.
According to a report from the Shanghai Municipal Administration for Market Regulation, on May 25, the popular Shanghai cafe "WHEN PIGS FLY" (Shanghai Pink Pig Catering Co., Ltd.) was investigated by the Changning District Administration for Market Regulation for using expired food ingredients to process food.
The Food Safety Law explicitly prohibits the use of food ingredients beyond their shelf life in food production. If regulations are violated but no crime is constituted, the food safety supervision department at or above the county level shall confiscate the illegal gains and the illegally produced or operated food, and may confiscate related tools, equipment, and raw materials; if the value of the illegal food is less than 10,000 yuan, a fine of 50,000 to 100,000 yuan shall be imposed; if the value is 10,000 yuan or more, a fine of 10 to 20 times the value shall be imposed; in serious cases, the license shall be revoked.
On May 12, law enforcement officers conducted an in-store inspection of the popular coffee shop "WHEN PIGS FLY" located on Yuyuan Road in Shanghai. In the special trash bin for cold-processed food in the kitchen, they found four empty boxes of pasteurized egg white liquid.
The outer packaging label of one egg white liquid box showed a production date/batch number of 2022030613010 and a shelf life of 45 days. At the time of the law enforcement inspection, the product had been expired for over 20 days.
According to the on-site statement by the shop's chef, these egg white liquids had all been used on the day of inspection to make half-finished sliced cake roll bases, processing a total of 24 pieces.
Under the supervision of law enforcement officers, the party involved destroyed the 24 half-finished sliced cake roll bases on site.
It is reported that the cafe "WHEN PIGS FLY" once ranked first among Shanghai's popular cafes on a review platform.
Some netizens commented that they had never heard of this coffee shop that "ranked first" on the popularity list.
Some netizens, who appeared to have visited the shop, expressed concern.
Others believed that heavy penalties should be imposed.
A report titled "Shanghai 2021 Specialty Coffee Consumption Observation" released by Dianping shows that the number of specialty coffee shops in Shanghai has reached 3,244, and over the past year, Shanghai residents have searched for keywords related to specialty coffee hundreds of millions of times.
With more and more specialty coffee shops and a surge in coffee-related search terms, it means coffee is no longer just a refreshing drink but is closely tied to people's quality of life. As work and production resume, more cafes are coming back to life. To attract new customers and retain old ones, while ensuring service and product quality, food safety is of utmost importance.
Image source: Weibo, internet
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The above content is compiled by CoffeeHunters, a coffee news website.
