A popular bakery chain in Shenzhen has come under fire after a customer discovered a rusty metal screw embedded inside a walnut pastry she was eating.
The shocking incident sparked a food safety controversy after the bakery allegedly insisted that the customer return the pastry as evidence before compensation could be paid.
The dispute eventually ended with the bakery paying the woman 1,000 yuan (approximately RM650) in compensation without requiring the return of the contaminated product.
According to local reports, the customer, identified as Ms Su, purchased a box of walnut pastries from bakery chain “Prince Karma” through an online order on June 1. The pastries were reportedly produced at the company’s factory in Dongguan.
The disturbing discovery was made on June 16 when Ms Su was eating the second-last pastry in the box.
While taking a bite, she felt something hard and was stunned to find a rusty industrial screw measuring about two centimetres long firmly embedded in the centre of the pastry.
Concerned about potential health risks, she immediately contacted the bakery through its mobile application and lodged a complaint.
The bakery’s store manager reportedly explained that the pastries were supplied directly from a central factory and requested that the contaminated pastry be returned so the company could investigate which piece of machinery may have lost the screw during production.
However, Ms Su refused to hand over the evidence.
“I will not return the evidence to them,” she reportedly said before filing a complaint with China’s consumer protection hotline, 12315.
Legal experts later pointed out that under China’s Food Safety Law, consumers have the right to seek compensation of up to 10 times the purchase price or three times their losses, with a minimum compensation amount of 1,000 yuan.
They also noted that businesses cannot make the return of a contaminated product a condition for compensation.
Following public scrutiny, the bakery eventually backed down.
Customer service representatives later confirmed that the company paid Ms Su 1,000 yuan on June 20 without requiring her to surrender the pastry.
Instead, the contaminated pastry was submitted to market regulators as evidence for further investigation.
The bakery has since cooperated with authorities handling the case.
The controversy has also revived concerns over the bakery chain’s food safety record.
Public records show that in October 2024, one of the company’s bread products was found to contain excessive levels of bacteria and coliforms during inspections, prompting an investigation by Shenzhen market regulators.
The latest incident has sparked fresh criticism online, with many consumers questioning quality control measures and food safety standards within the bakery industry.
Authorities are expected to continue investigating the source of the screw and whether further enforcement action is necessary.
