The farmer who bottles nature's water, Nongfu Spring, has now bottled nuclear contamination?

[4] Compiled from: Red Star News
 
[2] Nongfu Spring has been thrust into the spotlight of public opinion due to a promotional slogan.
 
Case review
Previously, some internet users noticed that Nongfu Spring's Dawn White Peach Flavored Soda Sparkling Water was marketed with a focus on "produced in Fukushima Prefecture," both on its packaging and in mall promotions. This move by Nongfu Spring has been widely questioned by netizens. Is Nongfu Spring importing Dawn White Peaches from Fukushima, Japan?

 
 

It is reported that Akatsuki white peaches were originally a famous specialty of Fukushima Prefecture, Japan. However, since the severe nuclear leak in Fukushima in 2011, the surrounding soil and water have suffered extensive contamination. In view of the impact of the nuclear leak accident on the quality and safety of food and agricultural products, the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine of China explicitly prohibited the import of food, edible agricultural products, and feed from 12 Japanese prefectures, including Fukushima, Gunma, Tochigi, and Ibaraki.
 
On June 27, Nongfu Spring's official Weibo account posted that this sparkling water is a flavored beverage and that its ingredients do not include any components imported from Fukushima, Japan. It also emphasized that the product's labeling complies with relevant regulatory requirements and contains no errors or misleading information.

 
 

[6] On the same day, the Jiande Market Supervision Administration issued a "Notice on the Investigation of the Source of Raw Materials for Nongfu Spring's Dawn White Peach-flavored Sparkling Water." The notice stated that the administration dispatched inspectors to conduct an on-site inspection of the production workshop of Nongfu Spring (Jiande) Xin'anjiang Drinking Water Co., Ltd., located on Xin'anjiang Street, Jiande City. After verification, it was confirmed that the raw materials for Nongfu Spring's Dawn White Peach-flavored sparkling water were not sourced from Japan's Fukushima Prefecture.
 
 
"Advertising Law of the People's Republic of China"
Article 4 
Advertisements shall not contain false or misleading content, nor deceive or mislead consumers.
Advertisers shall be responsible for the truthfulness of the advertising content.
 
Article 8
Advertisements that make representations about the performance, function, origin, purpose, quality, composition, price, producer, shelf life, promises, etc., of a product, or about the content, provider, form, quality, price, promises, etc., of a service, shall be accurate, clear, and explicit.
 
 
[1] The author's perspective
Obviously, this statement instead put Nongfu Spring in a dilemma. If the raw materials are indeed sourced from Fukushima, then Nongfu Spring violates the regulations of the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine; if the raw materials are not from Fukushima, then Nongfu Spring is involved in false advertising misleading consumers, potentially violating the Advertising Law.
 
Although Nongfu Spring stated that its ingredients have nothing to do with fruit from Fukushima, both the content published on its official WeChat account and the packaging of its sparkling water contain the words “Akatsuki white peach” and “Akatsuki white peaches are produced in Fukushima Prefecture, Japan,” which could easily lead consumers to mistakenly believe that the ingredients of the sparkling water come from Akatsuki white peaches grown in Fukushima. Therefore, netizens did not buy Nongfu Spring’s statement denying that its ingredients came from Fukushima, Japan, and retorted: “You wrote Fukushima in your own advertising copy, and now you don’t admit it?”
 
Although relevant authorities have not yet determined that Nongfu Spring has violated the Advertising Law, consumer reputation is especially important for a national brand. The slogan "We are merely the porters of nature" was once widely known. Even as product categories become increasingly diversified and promotional methods grow more varied, lawful marketing remains a bottom line that every enterprise must uphold.