"South Korea's Choco Pie Boycott" Absurd Claim in China... Orion Says "Misunderstanding Now Cleared"

Orion's Choco Pie sold in China.
[Photo by Orion website capture]

[Asia Economy Reporter Hwang Sumi] It has been revealed that a boycott movement against Orion's Choco Pie recently took place in China. This arose amid suspicions that Orion was raising prices only in China and Russia. Orion promptly issued a clarification, and the situation is reported to have been settled for the time being.

The controversy began after the Chinese media outlet Guancha.cn reported that "Orion is raising prices only in China and using different raw materials than in other countries."

The media compared the names of raw materials used in Choco Pie sold in Korea and China, pointing out that "Korean products contain 'cocoa preparation,' whereas Chinese products contain 'cocoa butter substitute.'" They claimed that the ingredients of Choco Pie sold in Korea and China are different.

They added, "Cocoa butter is a natural fat that, when consumed in moderation, helps protect cerebral blood vessels, but cocoa butter substitute is a type of trans fat made by refining vegetable oil, which can harm health if consumed frequently."

This information quickly spread through Chinese social networking services (SNS), leading to a boycott movement.

Chinese netizens posted multiple messages stating that "Orion is raising prices only in China and Russia and using lower-quality raw materials compared to other countries." One netizen even shared an article about Orion's price increase.

However, the article in question stated that Orion raised prices on some products starting September 1, 2021. The article from last year was reposted recently as if it were new.

Orion also denied all such claims, explaining that after raising prices last September due to increased costs, there have been no further price hikes.

Orion stated, "Rumors are spreading as if past price increases are happening now, causing misunderstandings."

Regarding the suspicion that the raw materials used in Choco Pie differ by country, Orion explained, "This misunderstanding arose because the raw material names of Korean products were translated using online translators, causing the two product names not to match."

Orion confirmed, "The raw materials for Choco Pie are the same worldwide, and most of the raw material suppliers are the same company."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.