Kang Shifu Holdings Limited (Kang Shifu) recently faced consumer criticism as it was discovered that their Daily C Peach Fruit Drink (500ml) contains only 0.01 grams of peach juice, leading to suspicions of misleading marketing. This news quickly went viral on May 26th.
The formula of the Daily C Peach Fruit Drink has attracted widespread attention due to its packaging featuring a large peach and the prominent words “Selected Fenghua Peach” underneath the peach illustration.
However, the ingredient list of the product shows that the top three ingredients are water, white sugar, and fruit glucose syrup, with peach juice concentrate being the fourth ingredient. The packaging indicates that the total juice content is ≥5%, with Fenghua peach juice concentrate added at ≥20 mg per liter. When calculated per 500ml bottle, the amount of Fenghua peach juice concentrate is only 0.01 grams.
On May 24th, China’s Ningbo Net quoted a food expert’s analogy, stating that the amount of one drop from a laboratory standard pipette is 0.05 grams, making 0.01 grams one-fifth the weight of a single drop of water.
Based on this calculation, netizens estimated that spreading the 0.01 grams of Fenghua peach juice concentrate over 500ml of beverage would be equivalent to dividing a whole bottle of drink into 50,000 portions, with only 1 portion containing the peach juice concentrate. Some netizens commented that to consume the amount of peach juice from a Fenghua peach, one would need to drink thousands of bottles of Kang Shifu products.
Many people expressed skepticism, believing that since it is labeled as “Selected Fenghua Peach,” the content should not be low, with guesses ranging around 65%. Some also suggested that as many beverage brands release special seasonal editions, Kang Shifu’s Fenghua Peach drink is likely a limited edition, where the juice content would be higher than regular products.
In response, Kang Shifu stated that their product labeling is compliant and accurately reflects the ingredient information.
However, legal experts pointed out that Fenghua Peach is a nationally recognized geographic indication product worth over 1.5 billion yuan. By deliberately emphasizing this selling point while significantly lacking the corresponding ingredients, companies could be accused of misleading consumers and violating related regulations.
Jiangsu Radio and Television Lychee News noted that such “conceptual additives” are not uncommon. Some beverages and foods often highlight the addition of expensive ingredients as a selling point, yet the actual amount added is minimal. By using a tiny proportion of expensive ingredients to enhance product appeal and price without significantly increasing costs, consumers are advised to focus on checking the ingredient list and not solely rely on the packaging’s advertising claims when choosing beverages.
Urban Express further emphasized that in recent years, Kang Shifu’s performance has been under pressure, and this type of heavy marketing with light substance risks overstretching consumer trust.