Nongfu Spring, one of the largest water producers in China, announced at a press conference Monday that it is suing the Beijing Times for allegedly damaging its reputation with reports that its products didn't meet national quality standards.

As a well-known and respected brand, Nongfu should prove what it is claiming as soon as possible instead of trying to slug it out with local media. At the end of the day, people don't care whether Nongfu wins its case or not - what they want to know, first and foremost, is whether the company's products are reliable and safe. If shoppers don't have confidence, they will soon turn to other brands, leaving Nongfu with a smaller share of the water market.

At the same time, authorities should help prevent future messes like this by specifically laying out which standards need to be applied to which products.

The author is He Jingjun, associate professor at Southwest University of Political Science and Law.

Source: huanqiu.com