The encyclopedia · Advertising & PR · Marketing decision · 2024
Northeast Yujie fined ¥1.65M for 'sweet potato' vermicelli with no sweet potato
A 20M-follower influencer's 'sweet potato vermicelli' tested as cassava. Her company fined ¥1.65M and suspended; the noodle maker fined ¥6.72M and shut down.
Yujie Media (雨姐传媒) · Liuhe Company (六河公司) · 2024-10-12
What happened
Dongbei Yujie (东北雨姐), a top Douyin influencer with more than 20 million followers, built her persona on honest farm life and sold local products live. On September 23, 2024, consumer watchdog blogger 'Dawa' posted a video showing that the sweet potato vermicelli sold in her livestream contained no sweet potato — tests found cassava instead.
The Benxi County market regulator investigated and announced on October 12: Yujie Media was fined ¥1.65 million (confiscation plus penalty) and ordered to suspend operations pending rectification, while the vermicelli producer, Liuhe Company, was fined ¥6.72 million and shut down. Yujie lost nearly 2 million followers within a month.
The brand-side bill: a person-brand built on 'authenticity' collapsed when its flagship product failed a single lab test. The influencer company paid, the producer paid, the brand promised refund-plus-three for a full year of sales, and the 'honest farm girl' persona became the case study in how fast fabricated trust converts into regulatory liability.
Why it happened
- The vermicelli claimed to be sweet potato but tested as cassava — the product contradicted the label.
- Regulators fined both seller and producer: ¥1.65M for the influencer company, ¥6.72M plus shutdown for the maker.
- The exposure came from a watchdog blogger, not the regulator, and went viral while sales were still running.
- Refund-plus-three on a year of sales made the trust deficit expensive, and nearly 2 million followers left within a month.
The lesson
The persona is the product. When an 'honest farm girl' sells vermicelli that is not what it claims, the trust that built 20M followers becomes the multiplier on the damage.
Aftermath
Yujie Media was ordered to suspend operations pending rectification and began refund-plus-three for Wang Shousheng brand vermicelli bought between October 1, 2023 and September 30, 2024. The producer Liuhe Company was fined ¥6.72 million and ordered to stop production.
Sources
- CCTV News — Benxi county: Yujie Media fined ¥1.65 million, Liuhe fined ¥6.72 million, 2024-10-12
- The Paper — Dongbei Yujie fined ¥1.65 million, loses nearly 2 million followers, refund-plus-three, 2024-10-12
- Sohu — Yujie's vermicelli maker fined ¥6.72 million and ordered to stop production, 2024-10
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