Cockroach-like Insect Found in Mega Coffee's Condensed Milk Latte
Koreans start and end their day with coffee. With such daily consumption, they naturally begin to consider "value for money," leading to an era of low-priced coffee where inexpensive coffee brands must provide greater trust as demand grows.
However, a cockroach sighting at MegaMGC Coffee, which holds the top market share in South Korea's low-priced coffee sector, has left many frowning.
Recently, posts emerged on social media and various online communities, stating that a supposed foreign object resembling a cockroach was found in Mega Coffee's "condensed milk latte."
In a photo shared by the author, Mr. A, along with a receipt, a dark brown insect body can be seen wedged between ice cubes. When fished out with a straw, it appears to be a baby cockroach.
Some netizens expressed concern, saying, "If it's a juvenile rather than an adult, it may indicate internal reproduction has already occurred."
Mr. A immediately lodged a complaint with the headquarters. However, he claimed that he only received an email requesting evidence of the incident and a refund account, with no apology call at all. He further claimed that the refund amount was merely the beverage price of 3,900 won.
Disappointment expressed over the headquarters' belated response… "They sent me 3,900 won"
After Mr. A posted this revelation, the headquarters reportedly started responding by sending a gift card and requesting the deletion of his post.
In response, Mr. A said, "You can collect the gift card. Upon reflection, I realized that anyone who drank cockroach coffee at Mega Coffee wouldn’t be able to use the Mega coupon." He continued, saying, "If I take down the post, I feel like I would rather be scolded, and some comments, like 'Do you have a kind disease? Report it,' have likely been seen. I'm really troubled right now."
Mega Coffee stated, "Is it difficult to have a call? Once again, I sincerely apologize for the inconvenience caused. As a fellow consumer, I fully understand your feelings," but they still requested the deletion of the post. When Mr. A did not take it down, they reportedly sent another text on the 22nd of last month, again pressuring him to delete it.
Netizens reacted with comments like, "The bug is worse than the coffee…", "This isn't just about compensation," and "I can't drink Mega Coffee anymore."
Given that a cockroach was discovered in a drink consumed at the store, there are growing calls for investigations into the hygiene conditions of that location, as well as the overall factory and supply chain.
Meanwhile, according to the ‘Current Status of Food Sanitation Law Violations by Coffee Franchises’ released by the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety in September last year, Mega Coffee ranked first among single brands with the most violations, totaling 138 cases. This accounts for over 70% of the total 188 cases across all franchises.
Image source: Online Community, illustration for understanding the article / Photo = Insight
