What in Coffee and Tea Poses a Choking Risk to Children?

A four-year-old boy in Taizhou, Zhejiang, died after choking on pearls from a bubble tea bought at a Guming shop on October 19. He drank the tea inside an indoor playground, then returned to the trampoline area. The pearls refluxed and blocked his airway, and he died despite about 1.5 hours of emergency treatment.

The parents argue the pearls were too large and sticky, and say the store posted no obvious warning and gave no verbal reminder about children drinking it. Whether the amusement park and mall met their safety duties is also disputed. Local departments have stepped in to mediate, and the case has drawn broad attention in coffee online news and beyond.

Recently, news about a young child who tragically died from choking after drinking bubble tea has sparked widespread discussion on social media. The incident occurred in Taizhou, Zhejiang, where a four-year-old boy drank bubble tea purchased by his parent while playing at an amusement park, then became unwell in the trampoline area. After an hour and a half of emergency medical treatment, he still died from choking. The parents believe that the pearls in the milk tea were too large and too sticky, which was the main cause of the tragedy, and pointed out that the store involved did not post obvious warnings, nor did the staff verbally remind them of the risks of children drinking it. At the same time, whether the amusement park and the shopping mall fulfilled their safety obligations has also become a focus of controversy. At present, multiple local departments have intervened in mediation, and the incident is still being further handled.

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Recently, topics such as "three-year-old child drinks bubble tea" and "store responds to boy's death from choking after drinking bubble tea" have successively appeared on Weibo's hot search list, arousing widespread attention and discussion across all sectors of society.

According to multiple media outlets including Jiupai News and Zhongan Online, the incident occurred on the afternoon of October 19. A four-year-old boy in Taizhou, Zhejiang, was taken by his parent to play at Duqiao Baolong Plaza. The child's mother bought a cup of bubble tea at a Guming milk tea shop, and then brought this drink into the children's indoor playground area.

Afterward, the child felt thirsty and drank this cup of bubble tea. After finishing it, he ran to the trampoline area to continue playing. Not long after, after being reminded by other children playing together, the child's mother arrived within about one minute at the side of the child who had already become unwell, immediately began first aid, and with the help of on-site staff sent the child to the hospital emergency department.

Unfortunately, the child died from choking after the pearls in the milk tea refluxed and blocked his airway, despite rescue efforts lasting as long as 1.5 hours. After the incident, the grief-stricken parents launched rights protection efforts through multiple channels and posted several videos on social media. Three of the videos questioned the bubble tea product, arguing that the pearls in the milk tea were too large and too sticky, which was the direct cause of the child's choking, and demanding that the milk tea shop bear corresponding responsibility.

At the same time, the parents also questioned that the Guming store that sold this cup of bubble tea did not post eye-catching notices, and that the staff did not verbally inform consumers of the risks of children drinking bubble tea. In addition, the parents pointed out that the amusement park failed to stop the parent from bringing bubble tea into the venue, and that the shopping mall also lacked relevant emergency response plans. They believed that the venue operator did not fulfill its due responsibilities, resulting in the child being unable to receive timely rescue after the accident occurred in the amusement park.

On the morning of October 24, a media reporter contacted the amusement park involved. A staff member said that she was not at the scene on the day of the incident, did not know the specific handling situation, and also said it was not convenient to provide the contact information of the person in charge of the store.

The relevant person in charge of Duqiao Baolong Plaza responded that after the incident, the town government and the police station had both intervened, and they are currently coordinating to handle the matter. The shopping mall is actively cooperating with the investigation, and relevant materials such as surveillance footage have been handed over to the police, but the specific progress of handling cannot be disclosed for the time being, and detailed information may be announced to the public later.

The reporter noticed that on the ordering mini-program of the milk tea brand involved, bubble tea products all carry a "warm reminder," including "not suitable for infants and young children under three years old; the elderly and children should drink it under supervision."

Another person familiar with the matter revealed that on the day of the incident, the parent placed the order through the mini-program, and then an adult went to the store to pick up the meal. The staff never saw the child himself from beginning to end, and the milk tea shop only learned about the relevant situation after the child had problems. The reporter contacted the milk tea store involved, and a staff member said that the company is currently handling this matter.

At noon today, The Paper disclosed the latest progress of the incident. The report said that it had learned from relevant departments of Duqiao Town, Linhai, Taizhou that immediately after the incident on the 19th, the local police station intervened to handle it, and various township departments also assigned personnel to form a special mediation team. However, due to fluctuations in the parents' emotions, the previous two rounds of mediation had not made substantive progress, and a third round of mediation would be carried out on the 25th.

A staff member of the relevant department introduced that the parents' emotions have gradually stabilized at present, and some psychological counseling was also provided to the parents during the mediation process. The relevant departments will actively coordinate and connect to promote a resolution of this matter as soon as possible.

Image source: Internet

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