Milk tea brand in China recalled for looking too similar to laundry detergent

A milk tea brand with packaging that has a striking resemblance to laundry detergent bottles has been recalled after customers feared that children may mistakenly drink cleaning products believing it to be milk tea.

Nanyeli Thai Food Restaurant, based in Nanjing, Jiangsu Province, produce the Thai-style milk tea with packaging that uses a label, handle and lid design similar to those of laundry detergent bottles. Three of the restaurant’s chain outlets were selling the milk tea products in 500ml bottles across Nanjing.

The design of the milk tea’s packaging, however, raised concerns for many customers who believed that it posed a serious threat to their children. The milk tea’s strange packaging went viral on Weibo, where many pointed out that children may mistakenly believe that their home’s laundry detergents and cleaning goods contain milk tea, putting them at risk of drinking it.

“Young children can’t tell the difference. After coming into contact with this kind of milk tea, they will drink the laundry detergent at home. Even if it is not delicious, some of the spit will still enter the human body,” one user commented.

Many Weibo users also described the milk tea’s packaging as unappetizing and “poor innovation.”

“When I look at the bottle, I don’t have the desire to drink it, it feels like bubble water,” one user wrote.

In an interview with Jiangsu News, an attorney explained that the risk of children accidentally consuming cleaning products due to the milk tea packaging’s resemblance to laundry detergent may be a violation of the Food Safety Law.

Nanyeli Thai Food Restaurant stated that they would launch an investigation into the milk tea’s packaging and also alter the design. A waiter at one of the three restaurant locations, however, observed that fewer customers are purchasing the milk tea despite the design change.

Featured Image via Weibo

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