Mainland Chinese internet users and Hong Kong lawmakers have weighed in after the city’s consumer watchdog apologised to the country’s largest bottled water company for an inaccurate safety report, with some wondering whether the reputations of both parties will take a hit.
Some internet users on the mainland poked fun at the Consumer Council’s updated findings, which they said showed Nongfu Spring’s bottled water was found to be neither spring nor mineral water according to international standards.
Others wondered whether the watchdog would steer clear of mainland products in the future after receiving a legal letter from the company.
But lawmakers in the city said the watchdog’s credibility was not affected, lauding the body for owning up to its mistake.
The Consumer Council apologised on Thursday for listing Nongfu Spring’s water in an incorrect category in a safety report, two days after the brand slammed the findings as “extremely unscientific and irresponsible” and demanded an apology.
It re-evaluated the bottled water as a five-star product and reclassified as an independent category of “natural drinking water”.
The council report on Monday claimed the bottled water contained bromate at the maximum level of European Union quality standards, saying excessive chemical intake could lead to discomfort or even affect consumers’ nervous systems.
Nongfu Spring, in a legal letter issued by a Hong Kong law firm, questioned the council’s decision to classify the bottled water as “natural water (deep lake water)”, but then apply a European Union standard applicable to “natural mineral water”.
The company argued that its natural spring water products should have been assessed against EU standards for drinking water instead of natural mineral water.
Nongfu Spring, listed in Hong Kong and founded by Zhong Shanshan, the country’s richest man, held 26.6 per cent of the mainland’s drinking water market share last year.
Its stock price dropped to HK$32.40 at one point on Tuesday, down from Monday’s opening of HK$34.85.
Users on social media platforms Xiaohongshu and Weibo joked that the incident revealed that the bottled water they had been drinking for years was not actually spring water by international standards.
“I always thought I was drinking spring water, I’ve been lied to for decades,” wrote one Weibo user.
“I have to thank the Hong Kong Consumer Council for finally educating me on the true form of water,” said another.
Some even joked the watchdog should test edible oil, after reports emerged about a truck on the mainland using the same tankers to carry fuel and cooking oil without cleaning them between journeys.
Internet users also said the watchdog might become weary of testing mainland brands.
“The Consumer Council will no longer dare to test any more mainland products,” said one Weibo user.
Hong Kong lawmakers said the apology would not compromise the council’s reliability, and urged the organisation to be more careful with publishing their findings in the future.
Legislator Doreen Kong Yuk-foon told the Post the Consumer Council should check more stringently to ensure it did not incorrectly categorise products and hence apply a different standard to them.
“However, it would be harsh to say that this incident undermined the council’s reputation,” she said.
“I am certain that their swift apology helped them regain credibility in being impartial, accurate and objective. If it refused to apologise and admit its mistake, that would be worse.”
But legislator Gary Zhang Xinyu said the Consumer Council did not need to apologise, and noted that Nongfu Spring bottled water still contained relatively high bromate levels compared with other brands even after the reclassification.
He said the council approached Nongfu Spring for comment before publication, but the company dismissed it and only issued a short statement, before escalating later.
“I question if Nongfu Spring’s strongly worded legal letter would do good for their reputation or be convincing to Hong Kong consumers.”
Additional reporting by Ezra Cheung
