A CHAGEE store in Southwest China's Yunnan Province Photo: VCG

Local authorities released an investigation report regarding an online claim that mercury had been found in a milk tea purchased from a CHAGEE store in Dangshan County in Suzhou, East China's Anhui Province, stating that foreign substance in the drink was placed there by the customer. Relevant evidence has been secured and sent for testing, and the individual involved has been taken into custody by the police, according to the official WeChat account of the Dangshan County People's Government.

According to the report, after the claim surfaced online on Tuesday, the county promptly set up a joint task force composed of departments including the market regulation bureau and the public security bureau to carry out an investigation. Preliminary findings showed no abnormalities in the raw materials or production processes at the CHAGEE store involved. The case remains under further handling by the police.

Earlier, a woman from Suzhou posted on social media platform on Tuesday, claiming that she discovered a liquid metallic substance suspected to be mercury in a drink she purchased from the CHAGEE outlet at one of the stores in Dangshan County. The store responded that mercury could not have appeared during the preparation process, adding that it was taking the matter seriously and cooperating with the police and market regulators, and that conclusions should be based on the official investigation, as reported by the WeChat account affiliated with Beijing Daily. 

Global Times