"Plastic Pieces in Drinks, 'Easily Digestible' Controversy Cafe Faces Franchise Contract Termination"

"Half Beverage, Half Plastic Pieces" Controversy
Victim in Early Pregnancy Ultimately Miscarried
Headquarters Takes Strong Measures Including Contract Termination

A story about a pregnant woman who suffered a miscarriage after drinking a smoothie containing plastic pieces at a franchise cafe is spreading online. When criticism arose that the franchise store’s response was insincere, the headquarters announced that they had verbally completed the termination notice of the franchise contract for this store.

On the 3rd, a post was uploaded on the online community 'Nate Pann' about a person who drank a smoothie containing a large amount of plastic pieces at a cafe branch, resulting in intestinal bleeding and even a miscarriage. [Photo source=online community 'Nate Pann']

On the 3rd, a post appeared on the online community 'Nate Pann' describing how a customer drank a smoothie mixed with a large amount of plastic pieces at a cafe branch, resulting in intestinal bleeding and ultimately a miscarriage.

The informant, Ms. A, said, "Upon checking the drink, it was half beverage and half plastic, but my husband and I drank it without knowing. The doctor said that our gums, inside of the throat, esophagus, and organs all seemed to be scratched, and it led to intestinal bleeding," adding, "During the treatment process, I, who was in early pregnancy, eventually miscarried."

Ms. A also pointed out, "The cafe owner, overwhelmed with many orders at the time, put the plastic container used for portioning ingredients directly into the blender to make the drink," and criticized, "When the owner came to the emergency room, he said absurd things like 'Because it’s plastic, it digests well' and 'Plastic can’t go down the throat.'"

Plastic pieces that were found inside the Choco Chip Smoothie drink.
[Photo by Online Community 'Nate Pann']

Shocked by the owner’s attitude, Ms. A contacted the headquarters to complain. She said, "(The headquarters) acknowledged that this was an unacceptable and serious situation but said it was the owner’s mistake and negligence," adding, "They told me to resolve it with the owner. They said the maximum compensation for medical expenses and consolation money was 1 million won, claiming they couldn’t offer more as if putting a price on life, and then abruptly ended the call."

After the controversy spread through online communities, Ms. A said, "I was contacted by the headquarters. Only now did they inform me that the owner’s business rights would be revoked and that they would take strong action. They also said they would create a manual for such situations," adding, "But we have lost too much. Because of this, a family is living each day in pain."

Franchise Headquarters Apologizes as Controversy Spreads

As the story spread online and controversy escalated, the franchise posted an "Official Statement" on their official Instagram on the 5th and issued an apology.
[Photo by Cafe Cozy SNS]

As the story spread online, on the 5th, the franchise headquarters issued an apology through an official SNS post titled 'Statement of Position.'

The headquarters stated, "As the representative of the headquarters, I offer my condolences and apologies to the victim," and added, "We acknowledge responsibility for the franchise management failure regarding the cafe owner’s improper response and complacent attitude."

They continued, "We will do our utmost to sincerely help the victim heal the emotional wounds," and "The headquarters is taking this incident very seriously and will prepare and verify measures to prevent such incidents in advance, even those that cannot be 100% controlled."

They also emphasized, "We are currently working on detailed manuals and measures to prevent recurrence at all stores (first notice completed, manual in preparation)," and "Once again, we offer our deepest condolences and apologies to the victim who suffered great physical and emotional harm."

Meanwhile, according to the Food Sanitation Act, if foreign substances are found in prepared food, evidence of the foreign substance must be secured before reporting to the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety. After receiving the report, the Ministry investigates the cause and decides on administrative measures depending on the foreign substance and degree of negligence. Restaurants or bakeries may receive corrective orders or business suspension from 2 to 20 days.

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