An individual identifying themselves as a McDonald's employee has filed a public complaint against a regional operations supervisor in Beijing's Tongzhou district, alleging serious violations of food safety protocols. The accuser, identified as E Mou, posted claims that the supervisor, identified as Chen Mou, manipulated data and improperly transferred near-expiry milkshake mix between stores. The original social media post has since been removed from public view.

A visit to the implicated Jiukeshu location today revealed that the restaurant is operating normally, with a busy lunchtime crowd showing no visible disruption. However, during the two-hour peak period, very few customers were observed ordering milkshake products. The store manager confirmed that E Mou is indeed a McDonald's employee but not assigned to this particular location, and expressed uncertainty about which store they belong to.

The manager firmly denied any sale of expired dairy mix, stating that near-expiry products are discarded each morning as part of routine procedures. Regarding the accused supervisor Chen Mou, the manager described him as a direct superior who conducts store inspections roughly once a week, but declined to provide contact information, noting that communication is handled exclusively through the company's internal enterprise messaging system. McDonald's China has stated that an internal investigation is underway and no further information is currently available.

Store Staff Address Allegations While Admitting Limited Knowledge

The controversy centers on milkshake products that returned to the menu this year after a decade-long absence. According to the complaint, Chen Mou allegedly redirected milkshake-specific dairy mix from the Jiukeshu store to locations lacking proper milkshake sales authorization, forcing the product to be used as standard soft-serve ice cream mix. The accuser claims that milkshake mix differs from regular ice cream mix in both formula and equipment compatibility, warning that improper mixing could cause equipment freezing and excessively thin ice cream texture, with customer complaints about product quality already emerging.

The complaint further alleges that Chen Mou authorized alterations to FOB food waste tracking records, modifying expiration dates, discard logs, and system data to conceal the failure to dispose of near-expiry mix and the unauthorized cross-store transfers. This allegedly allowed near-expiry or expired dairy mix to continue being processed and sold while circumventing mandatory waste protocols.

Transportation of the dairy products also raised concerns in the complaint, with claims that temperature-sensitive mix was moved between stores using unrefrigerated vehicles, including delivery couriers, during August's high temperatures. This break in the cold chain reportedly increased the risk of dairy spoilage. The accuser also stated that routine inspections had previously identified improper use of expired milkshake mix, but the issue was never reported upward as required, allowing the violation to persist uncorrected.

In response, the Jiukeshu store manager told reporters that they were unaware of all the details but categorically rejected the claim about expired mix usage. "We conduct daily checks of all ingredients, and any product that doesn't meet time requirements is promptly discarded," the manager said. When questioned about cold-chain transportation, cross-store mix transfers, or tampered waste records, the employee admitted unfamiliarity, citing shift-based work schedules. "Ingredients arrive at night, and I haven't been involved in receiving them, so I can't confirm whether cold-chain transport was used."

Milkshake's Rocky Comeback Draws Mixed Reactions

Milkshakes have a long history with McDonald's in China, appearing on the menu when the first Shenzhen location opened in 1990 with vanilla, strawberry, and chocolate options priced around 9 yuan. The products were abruptly discontinued nationwide in 2014, with McDonald's China later explaining that milkshakes had underperformed in the mainland market due to Chinese consumers' preference for smoother beverages like cola over thicker textures.

The products made a limited-time comeback in August of last year through a themed promotion, quickly becoming a nostalgia-driven sensation. Reports at the time indicated that each store stocked only 200 cups daily, selling out within an hour on launch day. Resale platforms saw original 15-yuan milkshakes listed for up to 137 yuan, with queue-jumping services priced at 88 yuan. This May, McDonald's upgraded the product from limited-time to permanent status, expanding availability to 44 stores across 15 cities.

The Jiukeshu location and another in Beijing's Jiaodaokou area began offering milkshakes in early August, bringing the city's total to seven stores. The Jiukeshu restaurant heavily promotes the product with dedicated displays and purple-themed decor throughout the dining area. Yet despite the initial frenzy, customer enthusiasm appears to have cooled considerably. During today's busy lunch service, fewer than five milkshake orders were placed in-store over the two-hour peak, despite the restaurant being nearly full. One customer who ordered the product commented, "It's too sweet, I can't get used to it. I was just curious to try it, but one cup is filling enough."

Social media criticism of the rebranded product has been mounting, with comments ranging from "all artificial flavoring, missing the old creamy texture" to "as thin as melted ice cream water" and "sweet enough to choke, cloying to the point of nausea." As a once-sought-after novelty declines to everyday menu item status with sparse orders, the turnover rate for dedicated dairy mix inevitably slows, intensifying the pressure of near-expiry disposal. This dynamic may help contextualize the whistleblower's claims about expiring product and the broader challenges facing the milkshake line.

Recurring Food Safety Controversies Plague McDonald's China

This incident marks the latest in a series of food safety concerns involving McDonald's China this year. In the first half of the year, a Zhengzhou location drew scrutiny when a customer alleged a staff member spat into her takeaway Coke. Surveillance footage appeared to show the employee making a suspicious mouth movement near the drink. The employee initially denied the act before claiming it was merely "blowing bubbles," and was later dismissed while police and market regulators launched investigations.

Around the same period, a Wuhan store faced backlash after a customer discovered a blue foreign object in a hamburger patty. The restaurant explained that a worker's blue glove had melted onto the grill and adhered to the meat during cooking, offering an apology to the affected customer. Just days before the current controversy, a Shenzhen outlet was filmed using serving trays to compress trash, with McDonald's acknowledging the action violated standards and confirming that all trays had been cleaned and sanitized.

On consumer complaint platforms, McDonald's has accumulated over 12,000 grievances, the majority relating to food quality issues. This is also not the first time the company has faced allegations of label tampering and expired ingredient usage. In April 2022, a Nanjing location was fined 560,000 yuan by market regulators for altering expiration labels on food products. The regulatory body determined that the case involved deliberate illegal conduct with egregious circumstances, imposing additional fines on responsible individuals ranging from one to ten times their annual income from the company, in accordance with Article 75 of the Food Safety Law Implementation Regulations. Legal professionals note that if the current allegations are substantiated, those leading the violations could face similar legal consequences.