Introduction:Recently, a customer found an employee badge in a cold drink from Luckin Coffee, once again drawing attention to food safety issues at chain coffee brands. In addition to employee badges, foreign objects such as flying insects and raw material packaging have also been reported from time to time. The standard compensation offered by stores—refunds plus coupon vouchers—is often criticized as lacking sincerity. This article compiles common types of foreign objects, how brands handle such incidents, and offers practical advice on safeguarding consumer rights to help protect your interests.

Recently, a video of a customer finding an employee badge in a cold drink from Luckin went viral on social media. According to the footage, the coffee purchased on the morning of September 28 had an employee badge with the name “BiaoBiao” at the bottom of the cup, raising concerns about hygiene during the preparation process.

After media investigation, the involved store admitted that an employee had indeed lost their badge. According to the store manager, “BiaoBiao” was an early-shift employee at the location, and it is suspected that the badge fell into the drink due to a loose pin, without the employee noticing.

In fact, similar incidents are not uncommon at Luckin. On social platforms, it’s not hard to find customers sharing experiences of finding flying insects, raw material packaging, or even small equipment parts in their drinks. While most customers understand these may be unintentional mistakes, the standard compensation—refund plus coupon vouchers—is often seen as too cursory.

One customer shared her experience of seeking redress, stating that the customer service initially offered only a refund plus three coupons. It was only after she refused that they agreed to provide a 50-yuan cash refund. Eventually, the customer opted to communicate directly with the physical store and achieved a more satisfactory outcome. She believes that businesses should respond more proactively and provide legally appropriate compensation when facing food safety issues, rather than simply offering coupons as a brush-off.

Many netizens resonated with this, arguing that when encountering foreign objects, customers deserve at least a sincere apology and compensation in accordance with the Food Safety Law—not just superficial coupon solutions.

As of the time of reporting, the store manager of the involved location stated that they had not yet been contacted by the customer, but if the customer reaches out, the store will negotiate with them and proceed with follow-up actions according to their wishes.

Experts advise that if consumers find foreign objects in their drinks, they should immediately take photos as evidence, retain purchase records and the original state of the drink, and can file complaints through official customer service, consumer protection agencies, or third-party platforms. If the store only offers non-monetary compensation such as coupons, consumers have the right to claim legally appropriate compensation to protect their own rights.

The above content is compiled by CoffeeHunters, a coffee news website.