Introduction:A well-known fruit tea brand, 7 Fen Tian, recently came under public scrutiny after a netizen revealed that the chain uses frozen mango cubes with a shelf life of up to 24 months in some of its beverages, raising questions about ingredient transparency in the beverage industry. Although the brand promotes the use of fresh mangoes, it may in practice mix in long-shelf-life frozen fruit blocks. Customer service merely confirmed the 24-month shelf life but failed to explain the reason for using such ingredients. This article delves into the full story of the incident and explores the balance between ingredient selection in the beverage industry and consumer right to know.

Recently, a netizen exposed that 7 Fen Tian, a popular fruit tea chain, uses frozen mango cubes with a shelf life of 24 months in the preparation of certain drinks, sparking widespread concern among consumers and the market. The brand is best known for its signature drink, Yang Zhi Gan Lu (Mango Pomelo Sago), and both its ordering system and physical stores emphasize phrases such as "fresh mango" and "freshly cut tender mango." However, the reality significantly deviates from these promotional claims.

Photos circulated online show staff at a 7 Fen Tian outlet using frozen mango cubes packaged with the brand’s logo, with the packaging clearly stating a “shelf life: 24 months.” Once uploaded to social media, the photo quickly ignited heated discussions, with many questioning whether the chain truly uses fresh fruit.

Especially for a drink shop like 7 Fen Tian, where mango is a key ingredient in beverages like Yang Zhi Gan Lu, freshness is often a critical measure of flavor for consumers. Many customers expressed shock upon seeing the revelations, as they had assumed the drinks they purchased were made with freshly sliced mangoes from the store, not frozen blocks preserved for up to two years.

Some regular customers admitted feeling “stabbed in the back” upon learning the truth, arguing that the brand neither clearly indicated on its menu or product pages that frozen ingredients were used, nor provided sufficient information for consumers to make an informed choice. This has led to growing distrust in the quality and safety of everyday beverages.

In response to the incident, a media reporter contacted the netizen who made the revelation. The customer stated that they had been buying 7 Fen Tian’s Yang Zhi Gan Lu for a long time, always assuming it was made with fresh mangoes, only to find out that the brand actually uses frozen mango cubes with a 24-month shelf life. Although the netizen did not disclose the specific store name, they emphasized that the issue stemmed from the brand’s unified supply chain.

The reporter then called 7 Fen Tian’s official customer service, who confirmed that the brand indeed centrally procures and distributes frozen mango cubes to all its outlets nationwide, and that the product has a shelf life of24 months. When asked whether all outlets exclusively use frozen mango, customer service responded that the brand also procures fresh mangoes, but regarding the question of “why frozen cubes are still used when fresh supplies are available,” they only stated that it was a matter of “raw materials or supply chain issues, which cannot be further explained.”

As of now, the original post that sparked the controversy has been deleted, and 7 Fen Tian has yet to publicly address several key issues of public concern, including the proportion of frozen mango used, whether all outlets utilize it, and why the type and preservation status of the ingredients were not clearly communicated to consumers prior to purchase.

This incident has also prompted reflection within the industry on ingredient transparency in beverages. For consumers, understanding the source, freshness, and preservation methods of ingredients used in their drinks is a crucial basis for evaluating product quality and safety. Especially in the highly competitive fruit tea market, brands that fail to clearly communicate ingredient information may risk losing consumer trust and damaging their brand reputation.

For beverage enthusiasts, in addition to paying attention to coffee roast levels and extraction parameters, the selection and processing methods of tea beverage ingredients are equally worthy of deeper understanding. The 7 Fen Tian frozen mango incident serves as a reminder: even when consuming from familiar chain brands, we should remain vigilant and hold reasonable expectations regarding ingredient transparency.

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