Tsingtao, one of the largest beer producers in the world, has announced the opening of an investigation after the dissemination of a video that would show one of its workers urinating on the malt vat of its factory number 3, in China.
One video shows an employee in overalls climbing up to a vat of barley malt and, once in the "privacy" of its interior, relieving pressure on his bladder. The shocking images have been seen by tens of millions of users on networks such as Weibo, the Chinese equivalent of the American Facebook.
Tsingtao claims to have reported the incident to the police, in parallel with an internal investigation to identify the offender. "Our company takes the video released on October 19 regarding Tsingtao Brewery No. 3 very seriously," he said in a statement. The company also clarifies that "at this time, the batch of malt in question is completely sealed. The company continues to strengthen its management procedures and ensure the quality of the products."
Tsingtao is the second largest beer producer in China, after CR, which makes Snow, the most consumed beer in the world. Tsingtao, however, is much better known outside of China, alone accounting for more than 50% of Chinese beer exports. Tsingtao (pronounced Chingdao) was founded one hundred and twenty years ago by German businessmen in the Chinese city of the same name, which was one of many coastal "concessions" then under foreign control.
The Korean importer of Tsingdao has been quick to clarify that the brewery involved in the incident is dedicated solely to the domestic market and that the export Tsingdao has its own exclusive factories.
Although the Chinese did not discover beer until well into the 20th century, China currently represents the largest and most coveted market for this drink, with consumption of 43 billion liters last year, worth the equivalent of 100 billion euros. , nine times more than in Japan. In the latter country, furthermore, per capita consumption decreases, while in China it increases at a good pace.
(Below the video in question, with more than a million views on X)
