Preface
According to the "Monitoring Report on Major Public Opinion Events in China's Food and Catering Industry in March 2024" released by the Food Safety Public Opinion Monitoring Center of Miao Jian Information, "315 Gala Exposure: "Bad Meat" in Plum Vegetable Button Meat, "Internet Celebrity Snack Starch Intestine Collapse Attracts Attention" and "315 Gala Exposure: The Divine Listening to Flower Wine" are the three major events with the highest public opinion popularity this month.
"Food & Catering" Issue 26
Author丨Miao Jian Research Institute
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Sensitive public opinion events in the food and catering industry in March 2024
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Review of sensitive public opinion events in the food and catering industry in March 2024
This month, food safety and product quality are the most hotly discussed public opinion triggers.
Frequent exposure of food-related incidents: Affected by 315, food consumption complaints and media consumer rights protection topics are concentrated. This month, the food-related public opinion events in the public opinion case database of Miao Jian Information increased by 59% month-on-month.
Increased attention to food-related public opinion: Since March 13, local media have taken the lead in reporting a number of food-related incidents, such as snail powder containing odorant, jasmine yogurt, kuafu fried skewers and other incidents that quickly appeared on the hot search list, and then the food-related issues exposed by CCTV 315 party further triggered heated discussions in public opinion. This month, the Public Opinion Heat Index (MISI) has seen a surge in high-heat events, with netizen engagement increasing by 296% month-on-month.
01
315 party exposure: "bad meat" in plum cabbage button meat
舆情热度：323,646篇
Public opinion index: 98.77
Event Overview:
CCTV's 3.15 evening party exposed that as the main production area of plum cabbage button meat prefabricated dishes, there are individual enterprises in Fuyang City, Anhui Province that use unstrictly processed trough meat to make plum vegetable button meat prefabricated dishes. Grooved meat, also known as lymphatic meat in daily life, is a part of pork that is recognized as having poor quality and low price.
The party exposed the meat and plum vegetables at the head of the trough, which made the problem of prefabricated dishes surface the tip of the iceberg, and once again deepened consumers' stereotypes of unhealthy and unsafe prefabricated food industry. The issue has further drawn attention to e-commerce platforms and live-streaming platforms, which are important channels for the sale of low-quality pre-made dishes. Prefabricated dishes are connected to planting and breeding on the one hand, and catering and residential consumption on the other, and have always been regarded as a typical industry with the integrated development of primary, secondary and tertiary industries. The exposure of the party will trigger a discussion on the future development direction of the prefabricated food industry in the whole society, and help promote the healthy development of the prefabricated food industry.
(Miao Jian Information Public Opinion Case Database - Event Details Page)
Public opinion risk research and judgment
1. The food safety issue of pre-made dishes will return to the center of the public opinion field again, superimposed on the impact of many hot topics such as "pre-made dishes for children", "pre-made dishes on the Chinese New Year's Eve dinner table", "pre-made dishes related proposals at the two sessions", and the popularity will remain high and the popularity will last for a long time;
2. It is expected that the head prefabricated food brands, catering brands that have been focusing on prefabricated food products for a long time, and live e-commerce anchors who frequently bring prefabricated food products will all be greatly affected by the risk of industry public opinion and explode into a high degree of negative public opinion;
3. It is expected that upstream raw material suppliers, midstream prefabricated food production and processing enterprises, and downstream prefabricated food consumption markets related to meat prefabricated food products will be subject to strict supervision and inspection by relevant departments, and the public opinion risk related to this is greater.
Public opinion enlightenment suggestions
1. It is recommended that catering service operators and takeaways using pre-made dishes should indicate to consumers whether they use pre-made dishes, and display information such as the suppliers of pre-made food ingredients and the names of dishes processed using pre-made dishes on the food safety information publicity board, so as to increase transparency and enhance consumers' sense of security;
2. It is recommended that the leading production and processing enterprises in the prefabricated food industry and the leading enterprises in meat farming should closely monitor the current public opinion orientation, and make positive responses to regulatory policies to avoid the risk of public opinion in the industry from affecting themselves, and publish the response content on official social media accounts when necessary to answer public opinion concerns and eliminate social misunderstandings;
3. As the main sales channel of prefabricated dishes, e-commerce channels have great marketing risks and hidden dangers. Live streamers and e-commerce sales platforms must do a good job of self-inspection on the food safety of prefabricated meat dishes for consumption, pay close attention to the production environment of upstream suppliers, production links, and the safety of raw material sources, and maintain restraint and low-key in marketing and promotion to avoid "self-immolation".
02
315 party exposure: the miraculous listening to the flower wine
舆情热度：172,062篇
Public opinion index: 97.61
Event Overview:
CCTV's 3.15 evening party exposed the "sky-high" publicity chaos of the well-known high-end liquor brand Tinghua Liquor, saying that its so-called high-end commercial liquor "Tinghua Liquor" has excessive marketing, false publicity, exaggerated efficacy and other behaviors. According to the program, Tinghua Liquor advertises that it has health care effects such as enhancing immunity, improving sleep, regulating physiological disorders, and anti-aging, with the highest price reaching 586,000 yuan, but the international patent for its magical effect Tinghua Liquor has not been recognized, and the "high-tech" cooling agent is actually a common peppermint extract.
(Miao Jian Information Public Opinion Case Database - Event Details Page)
Public opinion risk research and judgment
1. It may trigger a certain scale of complaints, and the trust and reputation of the brand will collapse rapidly;
2. Violation of laws and regulations. False propaganda is an illegal act, which leads to investigation and punishment by regulatory agencies, legal disputes, and a crisis in the survival of enterprises;
3. Such behaviors often weaken the market competitiveness of enterprises. In the era of pursuing cost-effective and high-quality products, when consumers tend to consume rationally, over-reliance on high-priced marketing will lose market share due to the inability to adapt to market demand;
4. Product sales declined, corporate earnings declined, and fell into a business crisis. In turn, it is reflected in the capital market, where the stock price falls, affecting investor confidence, negatively impacting the financing ability and long-term development of the enterprise, and even triggering a delisting crisis.
Public opinion enlightenment suggestions
1. Set up a special team to deal with the crisis, including the company's main management team, legal team, investor relations management team, public relations team, external relevant experts, etc., to deal with and respond to the crisis;
2. Respond to public concerns with prompt attribution. Conduct a comprehensive internal investigation, issue an open and transparent statement based on the results of the investigation, sincerely apologize, seek the understanding of consumers, and take the initiative to propose solutions to minimize consumer losses;
the impact of confidence;
3. Strengthen media communication and reshape brand image. Use its own media resource library to strengthen communication with the outside world, disclose the improvement and achievements of rectification, and carry out activities to divert attention;
4. Establish and improve risk prevention and response mechanisms. Lessons should be learned, and a sound price management system, marketing review mechanism, and public opinion response plan should be established to prevent similar problems from happening again.
03
Nongfu Spring was involved in the whirlpool of public opinion
舆情热度：727,691篇
Public opinion index: 93.47
Event Overview:
The fermentation period of public opinion
After the death of Zong Lao, chairman of Wahaha Group, Nongfu Spring became the focus of public opinion because of the old grudge between its founder Zhong and Wahaha. At this time, rumors began to circulate on the Internet about the old grievances of the two companies, which in turn triggered the brewing and fermentation of public opinion.
The period of public opinion development
In the case of revealing that Zhong Sui did not attend Zong Qinghou's memorial service, on March 3, Nongfu Spring's WeChat public account published an article entitled "Zhong Sui: I have three things with Zong Lao", trying to clarify the company's position and personal relationship. However, this did not effectively calm public opinion, but only instigated the negative sentiment of Nongfu Spring on the Internet. More old grievances were revealed, such as Zhong Sui, who worked as a distributor under Zong Qinghou, but was disqualified as an agent for "rushing goods"; Zhong Sui entered the bottled water market and founded Nongfu Spring with the money he earned in Wahaha, but he used "pure water" to disparage "pure water" and tout "natural water" as a marketing tool. The "Farmer and the Snake" network of public opinion spreads.
The outbreak of public opinion
Turmoil such as Nongfu Spring's product packaging being accused of Japanese design and Zhong's son Zhong Shuzi being "American" triggered a larger-scale boycott and questioning, resulting in a decline in Nongfu Spring's sales. At this stage, public opinion entered a state of explosion, and public discontent became more and more intense. The crisis of Nongfu Spring has even spread to other enterprises, creating an atmosphere similar to "witch hunting". The development trend of public opinion is gradually spreading, and enterprises are facing more severe challenges.
(Miao Jian Information Public Opinion Case Database - Event Details Page)
Perspectives:
Mainstream media
Yicai: However, the public opinion turmoil in the past month has evaporated the market value of Nongfu Spring by more than HK $30 billion. Since February 28, Nongfu Spring's share price has fluctuated and fallen, and has fallen by 8% so far. Talking about the outlook for the future, Nongfu Spring said in its financial report that the global situation in 2024 is still complex and full of uncertainties. Recovery and development will continue to be a central proposition. The mainland consumer market is expected to continue its steady and positive recovery trend, and the food and beverage industry is facing many opportunities. Recently, the Group has also faced challenges due to the influence of public opinion.
OPINION: TAKE A MAGNIFYING GLASS TO PICK THORNS, NO ENTREPRENEUR IS PERFECT, INCLUDING WAHAHA. Many years ago, Zong Qinghou was also involved in a tax evasion case, cooperated with Danone, and also competed with other national brands, and Zong Fuli was also caught in the turmoil of American nationality. If all this is over, but Wahaha has private shares after all. Driven by the substantive goal of anti-capital and anti-private entrepreneurs, the populists who are now besieging and framing Nongfu Spring will continue to raise their moral standards and critical standards. Eventually, the word "exploitation" will be raised. You must know that a very important part of the current crusade against Nongfu Spring is that Wahaha has a higher proportion of state-owned assets. The higher proportion of state-owned enterprises is a moral benchmark, so won't private enterprises become immoral? Those who crusade against Nongfu Spring today will definitely crusade against Wahaha in the future. It's a very simple logic, a clear future.
PR marketing self-media
Brother-in-law Li: Some people say that Zhong's open letter has triggered another wave of public opinion, which is not good for the corporate image. But Nongfu Spring chose to respond correctly, in a crisis, the company is not only facing those who are hostile to you, but more importantly, enlisting the support of the majority of the middle. Seeing the criticism of Nongfu Spring, users, employees, distributors, and investors hope to see a positive statement from the company, and the way and content of the statement will affect their choice of Nongfu Spring's products and stocks. In the controversy, Nongfu Spring's sales may decline for a short time, but such non-product and non-core value disputes will have a limited impact on sales.
Li Dongyang's circle of friends: Nongfu Spring has gone from being picked up in commercial competition to the flood of "flattering days", reflecting that netizens are happy to see some non-mainstream topics being discussed and amplified, which is also one of the reasons why its negative information continues.