Insiders in the yogurt and jelly industries said on Wednesday that their businesses may suffer setbacks in the next few weeks as a result of two posts on Sina Weibo, the Chinese equivalent of Twitter, that have called on the public to avoid their products.
The messages, which were posted online on Monday morning, warned consumers that yogurt and jelly might contain industrial gelatin made from discarded leather shoes.
"It is certain that jelly companies will suffer sales declines in the next few weeks," Zhao Yanping, deputy secretary-general of the China Association of Bakery and Confectionery Industry, said on Wednesday. "But so far, we cannot estimate the exact losses."
She blamed the situation on weibo, which she said hadn't provided enough evidence to support their accusations.
By Wednesday afternoon, various jelly enterprises had been ordered by local quality authorities to stop selling their products, according to a statement provided by the China National Confectionery Association.
The association will not rule out the possibility of making an appeal in court, the statement said.
But Yi Shenghua, a Beijing-based lawyer from Yingke Law Firm, said the case might not be heard.
"The people who wrote the posts didn't point out which yogurt brand or company has these troubles," Yi said. "So it will be difficult for yogurt enterprises to prove that a decline in their sales was caused by the information."
If no specific company or brand is found to be a victim of the accusations, the courts cannot, according to Chinese law, accept the case, he added.
On Tuesday, the China Association of Bakery and Confectionery Industry, China National Confectionery Association, China Dairy Industry Association and other associations affected by the incident responded to the accusations on their websites, saying: "It is impossible to add industrial gelatin to yogurt and jelly products."
China's food regulations say edible gelatin, a thickening agent, can be used as a food additive.
"Manufacturers will save less than 100 yuan ($15.8) if they make 1 metric ton of yogurt using industrial gelatin instead of edible gelatin. It's not worth it to do that," said Song Kungang, chairman of the China Dairy Industry Association.
Edible gelatin is now not in jellies, largely because it can affect the product's taste and appearance, according to a statement posted on an industry website.
Zhao Pu, a famous anchorman at China Central Television, posted the warning about yogurt and jelly in his weibo on Monday morning, saying that people, especially children, should not eat those products. He did not explain why he had issued the statements.
Later, Zhu Wenqiang, a reporter from the Economic Observer, forwarded Zhao's post, saying that yogurt might contain industrial gelatin made from discarded leather shoes.
The two tweets aroused public concern immediately. The micro-bloggers deleted the information on Monday night.
QUESTIONS
1 What industry is rallying against a couple of Sina Weibo posts?
2 What were the posts about?
3 What happened after the posts?
ANSWERS
1. The yogurt and jelly industries
2. The messages warned consumers that yogurt and jelly might contain industrial gelatin made from discarded leather shoes.
3. Various jelly enterprises were ordered by local quality authorities to stop selling their products
新西兰封城违规举报网站因举报太踊跃而瘫痪
国际英语资讯:Turkish president warns of tighter measure if COVID-19 outbreak grows
什么是"无症状感染者"?
体坛英语资讯:Mane back with a goal as Liverpool win, Spurs close on top-four spot
英女王私人庄园不够住 王室成员佣人房里过圣诞
英专家称退休金制度已不适合21世纪
国内英语资讯:Vice premier stresses reserve of emergency medical supplies
投资者要关注税收和通货膨胀
国际英语资讯:Trump says not to issue national stay-at-home order
国内英语资讯:Xi says China ready to support Indonesias fight against COVID-19
国内英语资讯:Trump welcomes Chinas efforts to help other countries in fight against COVID-19
【新年策划】新年新科技
国内英语资讯:14-day quarantine required for out-of-town patients in Beijing
自然收复失地?人类隔离数日后野生动物开始现身城市
体坛英语资讯:Analysis: Dortmunds unpleasant reunion with Tuchel
国际英语资讯:UN climate talks in Glasgow postponed until 2021 due to COVID-19
体坛英语资讯:Vlhova completes slalom World Cup hat-trick and overtakes archrival Shiffrin in her absence
体坛英语资讯:Calgary FIS snowboard World Cup sees big achievements for Blouin and Collins
什么是机会成本?
调查显示Facebook已在青少年中失宠
国内英语资讯:Chinas control measures prevent tens of thousands of infections: spokesperson
体坛英语资讯:Leipzigs Werner sending top European clubs into frenzy
威廉王子新年伊始“抛妻弃子”去上学
按身份证尾号出行、男女分开出门......盘点一些奇特的居家令
玛莎百货将使用中性玩具包装
纳尔逊·曼德拉:你不知道的六件事
体坛英语资讯:Beijing 2022 organizing committee holds high-level video conference with IOC
旅游业收入骤降 泰国大象可能要挨饿了
国内英语资讯:China refutes U.S. officials accusations of concealing extent of virus
我想一整天都和男朋友在一起