What Happened in the Luckin Coffee Ice Investigation?

A consumer in Qichun, Huanggang, Hubei, reported black speck-like objects among the ice cubes in a Luckin Coffee drink and said he vomited afterward. The Luckin Coffee store refunded the purchase, and the local market supervision department opened an investigation. An initial inspection found no signs of mold. Luckin says it has started an internal review but has not published results.

The complaint spread quickly online and renewed debate about hygiene management in chain coffee shops, particularly ice-making. Food safety rules require regular cleaning and testing of ice machines and water lines, since residue and biofilm can form inside them. The case remains under investigation, and the outcome will likely shape how the chain and its coffee store outlets handle ice safety checks.

Recently, a Luckin Coffee store in Huanggang, Hubei, was complained about by a consumer that black speck-like foreign objects were mixed into the ice cubes in a drink. The incident quickly spread online and trended on social media. The customer said they vomited after drinking it, the store has refunded the money, and the local market supervision department intervened in the investigation; an initial inspection found no signs of mold. Luckin responded that it attaches great importance to the matter and has launched an internal review, but has not yet announced the results. The incident has triggered public discussion about hygiene management in chain coffee shops and has also led us to re-examine the potential risks in the ice-making process.

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Recently, the news that "Luckin Coffee was exposed for moldy ice cubes" has continued to heat up online, once trending on social media and sparking widespread discussion across society. The trigger for the whole matter was a video circulating online.

In the video, a customer surnamed Wang stands at the counter of a Luckin store in Qichun, Huanggang, Hubei, showing the staff the drink he had finished and explaining that he and his friends had bought a total of five coffees at this store that day. One of the friends did not like using a straw, so he removed the lid of the cold drink cup and drank directly. After finishing, he noticed several obvious black speck-like unidentified substances among the ice cubes at the bottom of the cup.

(Video screenshot from Sohu Qianliyan)

Wang suspected that these black spots were caused by moldy ice cubes, so he reported the situation to the staff and also mentioned that he had vomited three times after drinking it the day before. After communication, the store had already refunded the consumer at the original price, and Wang also reported the issue to the local market supervision administration. Luckin customer service responded that it would pass the relevant situation to a specialist for follow-up.

After the matter was reported by multiple media outlets, netizens had differing views. Some said their first reaction after hearing the news was surprise, not expecting Luckin to also have food safety issues, and they felt worried about drinks they had just bought not long ago; some customers who had not yet placed orders said that after seeing the news they gave up the idea of buying.

At the same time, many Luckin employees also spoke up to share their views, emphasizing that the company's stores have very strict hygiene standards, that ice machines are cleaned regularly, and that employees make drinks according to standardized procedures, so from common sense such problems as moldy ice cubes should not occur.

More netizens found the claim of "moldy ice cubes" itself incredible, saying bluntly that it was the first time they had heard that ice cubes could become moldy and grow fuzz, "Isn't ice just water? How can it grow fuzz?", "How could ice cubes become moldy?"

Judging from the video footage, black unidentified substances did indeed exist on the ice cubes in the cold drink cup, and it can be seen that these black substances were wrapped inside the ice cubes. A reporter consulted a gastroenterology doctor at a hospital in Hangzhou about the issue of "moldy ice cubes." The doctor said that potentially pathogenic bacteria in ice cubes for cold drinks are usually transmitted through contaminated water sources and human contact.

If environmental contamination occurs during the ice-making process, or if the ice cubes are secondarily contaminated, such as the ice machine not being cleaned in time or the drinking water used for ice-making containing impurities, the ice cubes may carry pathogenic bacteria invisible to the naked eye, causing customers to feel unwell after drinking.

According to a Red Star News report, on May 9, staff from the catering division of the Qichun County Market Supervision Administration said that after receiving the complaint they had gone to the Luckin store involved for inspection, and no mold traces were found on site in the ice cubes, freezer, or ice machine. "At present, it looks clean and hygienic." As for exactly which step produced the moldy ice cubes discovered by the consumer, the staff said it was still under further investigation.

Yesterday Luckin responded to the matter, saying that Luckin Coffee has always put food safety first, attaches great importance to the situation, and had immediately launched an internal review. As of press time, Luckin had not yet published the relevant investigation conclusion regarding the "moldy ice cubes" matter.

Image source: Internet

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The above content is compiled by CoffeeHunters, a coffee news website.