Haitian's 'double standard' soy-sauce charge — its denials kept the boycott boiling

In late September 2022 netizens compared Haitian (海天味业) soy sauce ingredient lists: export versions listed only soybeans, wheat and water, while domestic bottles listed multiple additives — flavour enhancers, preservatives and sweeteners. The 'double standard' (双标) charge spread across hot search and turned the country's biggest condiment brand into a food-safety target during the '科技与狠活' panic.

Haitian's first reply, on 30 September, was a hardline 严正声明 that attacked the short-video accounts for 'manufacturing anxiety' and promised to sue. On 4 October a second statement said additive rules worldwide 'have no inherent high-low distinction' and framed the question as a misunderstanding. The China Condiment Association backed the industry on 5 October.

On 9 October Haitian issued a clarification noting it sells products with and without additives in more than 80 countries and regions. The tone-deaf framing — telling worried consumers that 'standards have no high-low distinction' — read as lecturing, and the boycott and mockery ('打酱油') persisted through weeks of hot search.