What Is Coffee Made Out Of, and How Safe Are Fresh Drinks?

A consumer in China was diagnosed with chemical esophagitis after drinking a fruit tea smoothie that contained fragments of an entire deoxidizer packet, including its wrapping and filler. The store first blamed an employee error and admitted the packet was blended in, then denied it during mediation, and the brand's apology letter was deleted.

The case moved through hospital treatment, negotiations, a 12315 complaint and market supervision mediation without a compensation agreement, prompting online debate about freshly made drink safety and brand responsibility. It also reminds readers asking what is coffee made out of that a beverage is only as safe as the ingredients and handling behind it.

A cup of fruit tea smoothie turned out to contain fragments of an entire packet of deoxidizer. After drinking it, the consumer experienced a foreign body sensation in the throat and a burning stomach, and was diagnosed with chemical esophagitis after seeking medical attention. The store involved initially admitted it was an employee's operational error, then said the deoxidizer, along with its outer packaging and filler, had been crushed and mixed into the ingredients, but later denied during mediation that the drink contained deoxidizer, and an apology letter released by the brand was deleted shortly afterward. This food safety dispute at a chain tea beverage brand, from medical visits, negotiations, to a 12315 complaint and market supervision bureau mediation, has left the compensation issue unresolved, sparking heated discussion online about the safety of freshly made drinks and brand responsibility.

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Recently, a consumer posted on a social platform claiming that "a staff member's operational error caused a customer to be poisoned, and the store involved refused compensation," quickly attracting a large number of netizens to watch and discuss.

(Image from the person's Xiaohongshu account)

According to the poster, around 2 p.m. on January 20, a friend bought drinks back from the store involved. After the person drank one of the fruit tea smoothies, they experienced a foreign body sensation when swallowing in the throat and a burning discomfort in the stomach. Subsequently, in the vomited foreign matter and the unfinished drink, many fragments printed with the words "deoxidizer" were found.

(Image from the person's Xiaohongshu account)

The consumer immediately contacted the store through a third-party platform to explain the reaction after drinking. After verification, the merchant admitted that an in-store employee had made a mistake during the preparation process and mixed an entire packet of deoxidizer—including the outer packaging and the chemical filler inside—into the ingredients, then crushed it together with nuts and ice in the blender.

At around 3:30 p.m. that day, the consumer contacted the supervisor of the chain tea beverage brand, and both parties rushed to the emergency room together. Following doctor's orders, the patient drank milk to induce vomiting to reduce the effects of the deoxidizer. Over the next two days, the consumer continued to seek medical treatment accompanied by the brand supervisor and was ultimately diagnosed with chemical esophagitis. The person said that during this period, the merchant only paid for medical expenses from January 20 to January 22.

(Image from the person's Xiaohongshu account)

Considering that follow-up treatment might still be needed, the person repeatedly took the initiative to contact the brand supervisor and the owner of the store involved to discuss a compensation plan, but never received a reasonable follow-up arrangement. During communication, the brand supervisor, acting as an intermediary, also helplessly said that they could no longer continue coordinating.

On the afternoon of January 24, the customer called 12315 to file a complaint. On the afternoon of January 26, 12315 called back to inform the person that the owner of the store involved had conveyed through 12315 that they would not provide subsequent compensation for this incident. On the morning of January 27, both parties went to the Market Supervision Administration to participate in mediation. During the negotiation, the store manager involved denied that the drink sold by the store contained deoxidizer, and the mediation still did not achieve a result satisfactory to both parties.

(Image from the person's Xiaohongshu account)

Because this matter touches on food safety issues to which the public is extremely sensitive, many netizens paid close attention after learning about it. On January 28, an official account of the tea beverage brand posted an apology letter.

In the statement, the brand did not explicitly admit that the consumer drinking deoxidizer was the store's responsibility, and only said that the investigation was still ongoing and that the progress and results would be announced to the public in a timely manner.

However, not long after this apology letter was issued, it was deleted, and no content related to this food safety incident could be found in the official account.

Netizens lamented one after another that "food is the first necessity of the people, and food safety comes first." Food safety is directly related to every consumer's health and life safety. They hope that the brand and the store involved will give a reasonable explanation as soon as possible and properly handle the compensation issue with the person concerned.

Image source: Xiaohongshu

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