A viral video from China has sparked widespread outrage over food safety, showing a bubble tea shop employee placing a slipper into a container of tapioca pearls and scooping the pearls by hand. The shop owner quickly responded, revealing that it was the employee’s first day on the job, and that he had already been taken in by police for investigation. The owner also emphasized that the contaminated ingredients were discarded and the store temporarily closed for a full cleanup.
According to Chinese media outlet Da Xiang News, on September 18 a video was posted online by someone claiming to work at a bubble tea shop in Shenzhen, Guangdong. In the footage, the employee is seen handling ingredients unsanitarily—scooping pearls by hand and placing a shoe into the pearl container. The video immediately went viral, attracting widespread attention from social media users and authorities alike.
Initial investigations confirmed that the shop held a valid business license and food operation permit. All employees had health certificates, and ingredients were stored properly and within expiration dates.
The store owner explained that the footage was recorded on the employee’s first day of work, September 17. Once the video surfaced, the shop promptly reported it to the police, who took the employee into custody and placed him under administrative detention. The owner added that the employee had exhibited unusual behavior even during the interview process and continued to act irregularly on the job.
To prevent customers from consuming contaminated products, the store immediately halted the sale of all affected drinks and voluntarily closed for a full cleanup. All utensils and ingredients in question were discarded, and as of September 20, the shop has not yet reopened.
