The incident of mixed loading of oil tankers continues to attract attention from the mainland Chinese people. Due to concerns about the safety of edible oil, many people have chosen to purchase household oil presses. Relevant data from the mainland shows that the sales of household oil presses have quadrupled in the 8 days from July 5th to July 12th.
On July 13th, the topic “Sales of household oil presses quadrupled overnight” trended on social media platforms in mainland China.
According to a report from the “Shandong Business News,” data shows that in the 8-day period from July 5th to July 12th, searches for household oil presses increased by 22 times compared to the previous period, and sales increased by 4 times.
The report mentioned that a phenomenon of frenzy buying of household oil presses has emerged on mainland online shopping platforms. The majority of consumers are male, with 60% being male, and the post-70s and post-80s generations are the main buyers of household oil presses.
According to Time Financial Observation, on Taobao, a small household oil press priced around 500 yuan had over 100 purchases within 24 hours; another household oil press priced at 750 yuan had over 500 additional purchases in three days. Taobao customer service also confirmed that there has been a significant increase in inquiries from consumers looking to buy household oil presses in recent days.
In addition to online platforms, offline stores have also seen a surge in the buying of household oil presses.
On July 10th, several netizens from Henan province posted videos showing customers flocking to the Pangdonglai Supermarket in Zhengzhou. Peanut oil and sunflower seed oil at Pangdonglai were sold out. Many customers lined up outside the supermarket waiting to buy household cooking oil.
On July 2nd, the “Xinjing News” reported that after a lengthy investigation, it was found that many tankers in China not only transport edible liquids such as syrup and soybean oil but also transport coal-based oils and other chemical liquids. The public has labeled this practice as “poisoning.”
Following the escalation of the incident, the freight tracking feature on the mainland’s freight platform “Fahuobang” app was removed. The reporter from Xinjing News who covered the story, Han Futao, was reported missing and his Weibo account was suspended.
As the situation continues to unfold, the incident has raised serious concerns among the general public regarding food safety and the transportation of edible oils in China. The demand for household oil presses has surged, both online and offline, as consumers take proactive measures to ensure the quality and safety of the edible oils they consume.