Latest news with #Coca-ColaPlus
The Star
6 days ago
- The Star
Hongkonger held for ‘placing Coca-Cola, 7-Up bottles mixed with urine in shops'
Hong Kong police have arrested a man, 63, on suspicion of mixing his urine with at least seven bottles of Coca-Cola Plus and 7-Up and placing them on shelves at several supermarkets across the city, which left a nine-year-old in need of hospital treatment. The force said on Monday that the unemployed suspect was apprehended in Sham Shui Po on Saturday for allegedly administering a noxious substance with intent to injure, aggrieve or annoy another person, an offence punishable by up to three years in prison. It added that the urine was not injected into the bottles and that the man was believed to have targeted supermarkets in Sham Shui Po, Mong Kok and Wan Chai in the past year. The man allegedly acted out of revenge following unpleasant experiences, possibly a quarrel, with supermarket staff. He is expected to be charged and will appear at Kowloon City Court on Tuesday. 'Police stress that the case committed by the suspect this time is a very serious crime, involving not only public health but also the public's confidence in food safety,' Chief Inspector Yau Yu-sing of the Kowloon West regional crime unit said at a press briefing. The case came to light in late July after a nine-year-old boy felt unwell after consuming a drink bought from one of the supermarkets. He was taken to hospital for treatment and was discharged the same day with no lasting symptoms, Yau said. Most of the contaminated drinks were discovered by supermarket staff during routine checks. Yau said police had identified the suspect after analysing a large amount of security camera footage. Officers seized clothing, shoes and a backpack believed to have been worn by the man during the alleged offences from his Sham Shui Po home. Seven bottles of drinks have been sent for analysis, with preliminary results indicating a possible presence of urine but no poison. Police said they believed the man acted alone and that the incident was isolated. Yau urged the public to carefully inspect products before buying them, particularly bottled drinks. He said signs of tampering could include a broken seal, a bottle for a carbonated drink feeling less firm, or a different liquid level compared with other products. A Swire Coca-Cola HK spokeswoman said the 'matter is restricted to a very small number of isolated cases involving tampered Coca-Cola Plus 500ml bottles in Hong Kong'. She added: 'We fully cooperated with the authorities throughout their investigation and acted in accordance with their guidance. We appreciate their dedication and thorough work in investigating this matter.' The bottler added that 'the safety and quality' of products were 'always Swire Coca-Cola HK's top priorities'. Supermarket chain Wellcome said the safety and well-being of customers were its 'top priorities' and that the products had been taken off its shelves. 'Wellcome has always placed great emphasis on food safety and hygiene. We take this incident very seriously and are in close communication with our supplier. The products have been removed from shelves as a precautionary measure,' it said. Rival chain ParknShop also said that it placed 'the highest importance on product safety and customer health, and is concerned about the recent suspected case of beverage contamination'. 'Regarding the concerned products, ParknShop has immediately launched an investigation and has strengthened in-store inspections and information reporting,' it said. 'To date, we have not received any customer complaints related to the incident or the concerned products. As a precautionary measure, we have arranged immediate removal of the affected products from the shelves in all our stores and will continue to follow up with our suppliers to ensure customer safety.' It said that anyone who suspected that they might have bought any affected products could contact ParknShop's customer service hotline for help. A spokesman for the Centre for Food Safety, under the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department, said it had received a complaint in July via the 1823 government hotline about a bottle of Coca-Cola Plus bought in a Mong Kok supermarket that had an unusual, urine-like smell. 'Apart from this case, the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department has not received other related complaints,' he said. The spokesman added that the centre had increased surveillance and testing at retail points in the district, with results showing no abnormalities. The spokesman said the centre had also inspected the manufacturing plant and found no issues with the production process. The centre will continue to cooperate with police on their investigation and follow up with the manufacturer to monitor the progress of the case. Yau said: 'If [you] find that the packaging has been tampered with, or after opening the package [you] notice a strange smell inside the food, please immediately notify the shop or the relevant manufacturer.' -- SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST
RTHK
7 days ago
- RTHK
Man remanded in custody over urine-laced soft drinks
Man remanded in custody over urine-laced soft drinks A Kowloon City magistrate adjourned the case to October to allow for further police investigation. File photo: RTHK A man accused of placing bottles of soft drinks mixed with urine on supermarket shelves was remanded in custody after appearing in court on Tuesday. Lo Kim-ngai, 63, was charged with one count of "administering poison or other destructive or noxious thing with intent to injure". He was taken to court over an incident at a supermarket in Sham Shui Po on August 6. A Kowloon City magistrate adjourned the case to October 21 to allow for further police investigation. The force earlier arrested the man following reports in the past year that six Coca-Cola Plus bottles and a 7UP bottle sold in supermarkets in Sham Shui Po, Mong Kok and Wan Chai were suspected to have been contaminated. In one case, a nine-year-old boy felt unwell after consuming one of the drinks.
RTHK
7 days ago
- RTHK
Man remanded in custody over urine-laced soft drinks
Man remanded in custody over urine-laced soft drinks A Kowloon City magistrate adjourned the case to October to allow for further police investigation. File photo: RTHK A man accused of placing bottles of soft drinks mixed with urine on supermarket shelves was remanded in custody after appearing in court on Tuesday. Lo Kim-ngai, 63, was charged with one count of "administering poison or other destructive or noxious thing with intent to injure". He was taken to court over an incident at a supermarket in Sham Shui Po on August 6. A Kowloon City magistrate adjourned the case to October 21 to allow for further police investigation. The force earlier arrested the man following reports in the past year that six Coca-Cola Plus bottles and a 7UP bottle sold in supermarkets in Sham Shui Po, Mong Kok and Wan Chai were suspected to have been contaminated. In one case, a nine-year-old boy felt unwell after consuming one of the drinks.
HKFP
11-08-2025
- HKFP
Hong Kong man arrested for allegedly adding urine to bottled soft drinks
A Hong Kong man has been arrested after a nine-year-old boy drank a bottle of soft drink suspected to contain urine. Police said on Monday that they had received reports in late July about urine being added to Coca-Cola Plus and Sprite drinks found in multiple supermarkets in Sham Shui Po, Mong Kok, and Wan Chai over the past year. One case involved a nine-year-old boy who felt unwell after consuming a suspected contaminated drink and sought medical attention at a hospital. Police identified the suspect after reviewing surveillance camera footage and other intelligence. They arrested a 63-year-old unemployed man on Saturday at his residence in Sham Shui Po, where officers found items linked to the case, including the clothing and backpack the suspect allegedly used during the crime. According to police, the suspect had an 'unpleasant' encounter with staff members of a supermarket and sought revenge. The force did not name which supermarkets were affected. The suspect will appear at Kowloon City Magistrates' Courts on Tuesday to face charges, including administering poison with intent to injure. The maximum penalty for this offence is three years' imprisonment. 'The nature of the case is serious. It not only concerns food safety but is also a despicable act. The police are highly concerned about this case,' said Chief Inspector Alex Yau of the West Kowloon Crime Bureau. A total of seven bottles of soft drinks were tested, Yau said, adding that most were found during routine inspections. Police said test results indicated the samples may contain urine, but ruled out the presence of poison. Yau reminded the public to check that drink bottle caps have not been opened before purchase and to pay attention to the colour and volume of the drink to spot any irregularities.
RTHK
11-08-2025
- RTHK
Man, 63, nabbed over urine-contaminated drinks
Man, 63, nabbed over urine-contaminated drinks Police have received reports in the past year that six Coca-Cola Plus bottles and a 7UP bottle were suspected to be contaminated. Photo: RTHK Police said on Monday that a 63-year-old man was arrested for allegedly placing bottles of soft drinks possibly contaminated with urine in multiple supermarkets. The force received reports in the past year that six Coca-Cola Plus bottles and a 7UP bottle sold in supermarkets located in Sham Shui Po, Mong Kok and Wan Chai were suspected to be contaminated. In one of the cases, a nine-year-old boy felt unwell after consuming one of the drinks. Chief Inspector Alex Yau said officers arrested the suspect after raiding his home in Sham Shui Po last Saturday, and found items related to the case, including the outfit, backpack and shoes that the man wore when he was allegedly committing the crime. "We believe [the suspect committed the offence due to] the stigma from previous grudges between the suspect and the staff at the supermarket. So, he did this as a retaliation against the supermarket, not the particular product," he said. "We are seeing this as a retaliation against the shops involved." The arrestee will be taken to Kowloon City Magistrates' Courts tomorrow for administering a noxious substance with intent to injure, aggrieve, or annoy another person. Yau said preliminary test results showed that the drinks may have contained urine, but they did not contain poison. He said that the incident is an "extremely serious" offence, as it not only involves public health, but it also affects people's confidence in food safety. Yau also reminded the public to be more vigilant when purchasing products. "Look for signs whether that product has been tampered with, whether the seal has been broken off, whether it's been opened, whether [it has a] strong, weird smell... that kind of thing. You will always see signs when a particular item has been tampered with."
