The Chinese market should not have "dual standards"
Li Wanxiang
In response to recent questions from netizens that the ingredients used in Menglong ice cream are different between China and foreign countries, the relevant person in charge of Unilever publicly acknowledged its "dual standard", that is, Menglong Chinese products use reconstituted milk, and European products use water plus concentrated milk.
For a time, related topics sparked heated discussions.
According to the law, if the product ingredients are labeled with milk, but it is checked that the milk powder is used, it involves infringement of consumers' right to know and constitutes a fraud.
However, from the description of Menglong's products, no consumer fraud has been found so far.
However, the absence of fraud does not mean that there is no problem.
Even if the product labeling is the same as the actual ingredients used, it does not touch the legal red line and conforms to the industry standard, but the foreign companies have different "dual standard" behaviors inside and outside the products, which still affects the experience of Chinese consumers, which in turn causes their brands to become Chinese consumers. The image in my mind is greatly reduced.
The "double standard" incident of Menglong's materials is not alone.
Previously, foreign brands such as McDonald's, Nike, Apple, and Coca-Cola also had the phenomenon of "differentiation between inside and outside", involving price, quality, service standards, etc., which were criticized by consumers as "seeing the dishes."
This shows that some foreign brands lack the most basic sincerity towards Chinese consumers.
On the one hand, they make a lot of money in the Chinese market, and on the other hand, they use different standards to treat Chinese consumers differently.
If nothing happens, just use the pretext of "applying to Chinese standards."
Not only in the product, but also in the response to public opinion to deceive consumers' feelings.
When initially questioned by netizens, Menglong officially raised the reason for its use of "vegetable oil" raw materials to the height of environmental protection, but did not talk about cost savings and did not explain the safety of "vegetable oils".
Condescending in a so-called "for your good" posture, but does not respond positively to consumers' queries.
Such remarks angered a lot of netizens. To protect the environment, the whole world should be treated equally, and vegetable oils should also be used for environmental protection in the European market.
Where is the arrogance of these "dual-standard" foreign brands in the Chinese market?
Among them, it is true that there are relatively low domestic standards and low illegal costs, but more importantly, some brands do not respect the market and consumers.
No matter where the company is, it must be worthy of consumers' trust in the brand, establish a consumer-centric concept, and treat every consumer equally.
As Chinese consumers demand higher and higher product quality, both domestic and foreign-funded enterprises should give full consideration to consumer demands and market demands, and make products that satisfy consumers.
Otherwise, it will eventually be abandoned by consumers.
At the same time, relevant departments should also strengthen punishments, upgrade relevant product standards, prevent "double standards" with high standards, and better protect consumers' rights and interests.
Li Wanxiang
Li Wanxiang