What does the Luckin coffee fine mean for food labeling rules?
Luckin Coffee's Minhang Lianhang No. 3 store in Shanghai was fined 5,000 yuan after a clerk removed the outer packaging, including label information, from a pack of "Mini Mochi" prepackaged food before handing it to a customer. The Shanghai market supervision authority confirmed the sale of prepackaged food without labels, which violates China's Food Safety Law.
The pack sold for 6.9 yuan against a purchase price of 4.23 yuan, so illegal gains reached only 2.67 yuan. Regulators treat missing labels as a compliance breach regardless of profit, because labels carry the source and quality information buyers are entitled to. The case, disclosed on July 3, highlights enforcement across the china coffee market.
All it took was a store clerk removing a customer's food packaging, and a Luckin Coffee outlet received a fine from market regulators to the tune of 5,000 yuan. Here's what happened: a consumer reported that at a Luckin store, they bought a pack of "Mini Mochi" pre-packaged food, but the clerk removed the outer packaging bearing label information before handing it over, without obtaining consent. Upon verification, this act was deemed selling pre-packaged food without labels; although the illegal gains amounted to only 2.67 yuan, it still violated the relevant provisions of the Food Safety Law. Behind this seemingly minor penalty lies the consumer's right to know the source and quality of food. Front Street Coffee also reminds all practitioners that labels on pre-packaged food are not optional—they are a mandatory legal requirement.
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Removing a customer's food packaging—such an inconspicuous action—actually resulted in a 5,000 yuan fine. What exactly happened?
On July 3, the Qichacha platform disclosed an administrative penalty record: the Minhang Lianhang No. 3 store under Luckin Coffee (Shanghai) Co., Ltd. was fined 5,000 yuan for producing and selling pre-packaged food without labels.
This penalty traces back to a consumer complaint received by the Shanghai Municipal Market Supervision Administration—the consumer alleged that Luckin's Minhang Lianhang No. 3 store was selling pre-packaged food without labels. According to the consumer's account: they purchased a pack of pre-packaged food called "Mini Mochi" at the Luckin store, but the clerk, without their consent, removed the outer packaging printed with label information and then sold the food to them.
Subsequently, the Market Supervision Bureau investigated and verified that Luckin's sale of food without product labels was true. This "Mini Mochi" was priced at 6.9 yuan per pack, with a purchase price of 4.23 yuan per pack, resulting in total illegal gains of 2.67 yuan.
According to China's Food Safety Law of the People's Republic of China, if there are circumstances such as "producing and selling pre-packaged food or food additives without labels, or food or food additives whose labels or instructions do not comply with this Law," the food safety supervision and administration department of the people's government at or above the county level shall confiscate the illegal gains and the illegally produced and sold food and food additives, and may also confiscate tools, equipment, raw materials, and other items used for illegal production and sales.
If the value of the illegally produced and sold food or food additives is less than 10,000 yuan, a fine of between 5,000 yuan and 50,000 yuan shall also be imposed; if the value exceeds 10,000 yuan, a fine of between five and ten times the value shall also be imposed; if the circumstances are serious, production and business operations shall be ordered to suspend, until the license is revoked.
Indeed! The information carried on pre-packaged food labels is of great significance to consumers. Once labels are missing, consumers have no way to judge the quality of the coffee or whether the production environment meets standards. Pre-packaged food must not only have labels, but all specified items must be fully stated on the labels—this is a mandatory regulation aimed at protecting consumers' right to know and right to choose.
The Market Supervision Bureau's penalty this time also served as a "minor punishment to warn against major offenses." We hope that relevant parties will take this as a warning when stores are fined for such situations.
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The above content is compiled by CoffeeHunters, a coffee news website.
