After allegedly finding “worms and worm eggs” in his bottled water, a Beijing father’s demand for compensation has been flatly turned down as “obviously unreasonable” by one of China’s leading beverage manufacturers.
Back from hospital, Tongzhou district resident Li Zhenwu vowed to take legal action over the three 550-millimeter bottles of Nongfu Spring that he says contained “worms and worm eggs inside the caps.”
“My 12-year-old son vomited and was diagnosed with acute stomach flu after drinking one and a half bottles,” Li told the Global Times on Tuesday.
Li found a worm “just a little bigger than a sesame seed” inside the second bottle cap that he had bought in a neighborhood store on Thursday.
Li went back to the store, where storekeeper Li Xiru opened more than 10 bottles for him, some containing cream-colored “worm eggs” in the caps, according to Li Zhenwu.
All the contaminated products were packaged on June 6 in Jingyu county, Jilin Province, Li Zhenwu said.
A Beijing regional sales manager surnamed Wang from Nongfu Spring visited his store on Friday to inspect the water bottles, Li Xiru said.
The company then issued a statement on Monday saying both worms and eggs were actually on the outside of the bottles, dismissing Li Zhenwu’s compensation claim.
“The worm eggs were definitely inside the caps,” Li Xiru said. “You don’t see them until you open the bottle.”
The worms must have been introduced through storage, Zhong Xiaoxiao, director of the president’s office of Nongfu Spring, told the Shanghai-based Dongfang Daily on Monday.
“I kept the water the same way I keep other brands,” Li Xiru said. “I really hope the company can contact the customer and settle this soon instead of ignoring our calls.”
Sales manager Wang couldn’t be reached for comment on Tuesday.
“Since they never got back to us, I’m planning to sue for the compensation that my family deserves,” Li Zhenwu said