On September 18, a Chinese man fatally stabbed a 10-year-old Japanese child in Shenzhen, sparking widespread public attention. Some Shenzhen residents mourned the deceased Japanese child. (Image from the internet)
October 20, 2024 – A month after a Japanese boy was fatally stabbed at the Japanese School in Shenzhen, anti-Japanese sentiment remains high in Chinese society. Recently, Feihe, a leading Chinese infant formula company, faced a wave of false accusations and boycotts on mainland social media after announcing a technical cooperation agreement with a Japanese biotech company. Feihe was forced to publicly clarify the situation and report it to the authorities.
On October 18, Feihe Dairy Co., Ltd., based in Heilongjiang, issued a statement through official channels, saying that the internet has been flooded with false claims about "Feihe importing Japanese raw materials." These misleading statements have not only misled consumers but have also caused significant damage to Feihe’s brand reputation. Feihe has reported the matter to the police.
The rumors about Feihe "importing Japanese raw materials" stem from a cooperation agreement the company signed earlier in October.
On October 3, Feihe and Kyowa Hakko, a Japanese fermentation company, signed a letter of intent for mutual technical cooperation and announced the establishment of a joint innovation laboratory. The joint lab aims to develop fermentation-based lactoferrin production technology. The two companies plan to use their respective expertise to explore new methods for simulating breast milk in infant formula, focusing on fermenting lactoferrin and other functional components found in breast milk.
After the announcement, a flurry of false accusations appeared on Chinese social media, claiming that "Feihe is receiving investments from a Japanese company" and "Feihe is importing Japanese raw materials." Some linked the collaboration to Japan’s recent release of treated water from the Fukushima nuclear plant, sparking panic and calls for a boycott among Chinese netizens. Some claimed, "You can't gamble with children's health, the Japanese have bad intentions," while others said, "We can’t trust Japanese people with our babies’ health."
As the rumors spread and gained traction, even making it onto social media trending lists, Feihe responded with a public statement via its WeChat account on October 18.
The statement clarified that the accusations were false and misleading, harming the company’s brand. Feihe also noted that they had reported the situation to the police, who had opened an investigation. The company reserved the right to pursue legal action against individuals responsible for publishing and spreading the false content.
Feihe emphasized that their collaboration with Kyowa Hakko was purely for technological exchange and did not involve importing raw materials or using Japanese formulas.
According to its official website, Feihe was founded in 1962 on the Zhaoguang Farm in Heilongjiang and is one of the earliest infant formula companies in mainland China.
Editor: Fang Xiao
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