A Taichung branch of a teahouse chain was ordered to suspend operations and several employees were referred to prosecutors on Sunday after a worker allegedly served water containing a cleaning agent to three customers, who were rushed to an emergency room.
An employee at the Taichung Gongyi Branch of the international teahouse Chun Shui Tang (春水堂) allegedly mistook a container of diluted cleaning agent for a tea bottle that customers asked to be filled with hot water.
A customer who drank from the bottle said they immediately spat it out because of its sour and acerbic taste, while three others reported a burning sensation in their throat and sought medical treatment.
Photo: Taipei Times
Chun Shui Tang yesterday said the employee, who had only been on the job for about two weeks, accidentally served a hot water bottle containing sodium bicarbonate.
The district supervisor and branch manager accompanied the customers to the emergency room of China Medical University Hospital for examinations, as well as a follow-up visit, it said.
The customers have been discharged and the company would pay their medical fees, it added.
The hospital said they were not in life-threatening condition.
The Taichung Office of Food and Drug Safety said it ordered the branch to suspend operations effective immediately, while several employees were sent to prosecutors for further investigation.
An initial inspection found that the cleaning agent was an enzymatic cleaning powder, which contained baking powder and sodium percarbonate, the office said, adding that the label showed the product is intended to clean clothes, kitchen towels, ceramics and stainless-steel containers.
The branch must pass further inspection to resume business, the office said.
Additional reporting by CNA
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