On September 23, Shanghai LvJie Industrial Development Co., Ltd (referred to as “Shanghai LvJie”) was officially announced to be under investigation. The same day, Shanghai LvJie issued a statement that sparked public discontent. It was later revealed by netizens that, as the meal supplier, Shanghai LvJie and Shanghai PinCe, responsible for food testing in Shanghai schools, shared the same email address. Prior to this, several schools in Shanghai experienced incidents where lunch, including shrimp and egg stir-fry, went bad and emitted a foul smell, with the supplier being Shanghai LvJie.
In its brief statement on September 23, Shanghai LvJie expressed the “most sincere apologies to the students and parents involved in this matter. We fully accept the measures taken by the relevant authorities and will cooperate fully.”
This statement immediately provoked negative emotions on the internet.
Technology blogger and Weibo influencer “ZhuangJianJian” commented, “This is the most arrogant apology in history. No remorse, no reasoning, no facts, just arrogance and contempt.”
Humanities and Arts blogger, and Weibo influencer “Fantasy Art View,” remarked, “The background must be so deep that even a belated apology could be so perfunctory and arrogant.”
Headline article author and Weibo influencer “TaiwanAC” posted, “This company Shanghai LvJie, so bold. After being officially announced under investigation, they issued a brainless statement. No context, no reform measures, just a so-called ‘sincere apology.’ So reluctant, when the media picked it up as a topic, they even used the word ‘apology.’ Where is the apology, I wonder? Isn’t this a statement?”
Author of the headline article and Weibo influencer “SweetApril” sarcastically said, “Such a haughty statement, a mere 48 words for the apology letter concerning the health of hundreds of thousands of students! Even elementary school students write more than this! But then again, the position of the LvJie supplier is stable. If not for the investigation, we might not even see these two lines!”
Manager of JiuYi Asset Management Co. Ltd (Beijing) and Weibo influencer “FinancialGossipLady” further uncovered that Shanghai LvJie and Shanghai PinCe, responsible for campus meal testing in Shanghai, shared a mailbox. “Tianyancha shows that Shanghai LvJie, providing meals for Shanghai children, and Shanghai PinCe, responsible for testing campus meals in Shanghai, share the same mailbox.”
Chinese economist Ma Guangyuan reposted the above posts on his Weibo.
Public records show that PinCe (Shanghai) Detection Technology Co., Ltd. was established on April 15, 2014, with business scope covering licensed items, inspection and testing services, import and export commodity inspection and identification, certification services, etc.
Previously, numerous Shanghai parents complained on social media that on September 15, the shrimp and egg stir-fry in their children’s lunch was temporarily removed due to being “smelly.” The set meal was provided by LvJie and the company’s background is quite extraordinary.
Many Shanghai netizens stated that Shanghai mothers were outraged in their groups. A parent of a third-grade student at a Shanghai elementary school posted their child’s lunch, including yellowing celery, sticky meatballs, and lukewarm rice, costing 15 RMB, distributed by LvJie. Many parents commented, “My child also said the food is bad.” Some parents mentioned their children had been eating frozen fish fillets for a week. However, some information and videos they posted were quickly deleted.
However, this incident has sparked significant attention online. Under public pressure, on September 23, the Shanghai Public Security Bureau, the Shanghai Market Supervision Administration, and the Shanghai Education Commission jointly issued a notice stating that the company involved, Shanghai LvJie Industrial Development Co., Ltd., was under investigation for allegedly concealing food safety-related information. Relevant personnel have been brought under control.
By September 18, data from Tianyancha showed that Shanghai LvJie had won a total of 101 bidding projects this year. In a January 2024 report by ShangGuang News, it was mentioned that LvJie’s business covered over 500 kindergartens and primary schools across all 16 districts of the city, providing over 500,000 meals per day, making it one of the largest nutrition meal supply companies in Shanghai.