The encyclopedia · Sales & Retail · Operational decision · 2025-03-14
Auntea Jenny franchise served expired grapefruit, relabeled it — store closed on 3·15
A Wuhan Auntea Jenny franchise used expired grapefruit on 3·15 2025, relabeled it after being reminded, kept serving — store closed, 立案调查.
Auntea Jenny · 2025-03-14
What happened
On 2025-03-14, ahead of China's 3·15 consumer-rights day, an exposé found a 沪上阿姨 (Auntea Jenny) franchise at 武汉汉口城市广场店 serving 杨枝甘露 made with expired 西柚粒 (grapefruit pieces).
Nearly half the store's small ingredients (小料) were already past their expiry date that day. After being reminded the grapefruit was expired, staff simply reprinted a fresh expiry label, stuck it back on the box, 'laughed it off' (一笑而过), and kept using the expired ingredients to make drinks — reporters repeatedly found them still in use during the visit.
That evening the Wuhan Jiang'an District 后湖 market supervision office inspected the kitchen, ingredients and expiry dates, fixed the evidence on the spot, and filed a case investigation (立案调查). The store was closed immediately (即刻闭店), and the two staff involved had already left the job.
A brand supervisor said the matter would be handled strictly (从严处理). 沪上阿姨 (Shanghai Auntea Jenny Industrial Co.) is a mainland tea-chain operator founded in 2013 with about 100 million yuan in registered capital.
Why it happened
- A franchise store on thin margins kept using near-expiry stock to avoid waste, and after being caught simply relabeled it instead of stopping
- Almost half the store's ingredients were already expired, showing the habit was routine rather than a one-off slip
- Serving expired food on the eve of China's biggest consumer-watchdog day turned a local cost-saving habit into a closed store and a brand investigation
The lesson
When a franchise store relabels expired ingredients and keeps serving, the cost lands on the brand — one store was closed and an investigation opened on the industry's biggest watchdog day.
Aftermath
After the 2025-03-14 exposé, the Wuhan Jiang'an District 后湖 market supervision office fixed evidence and filed a case investigation (立案调查); the store was immediately closed and the two staff involved quit. A brand supervisor promised strict handling (从严处理). The case showed how a franchise's routine cost-saving habit — using and relabeling expired stock — turns into a brand-wide food-safety scandal the moment a watchdog day camera arrives.
Sources
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