Bottles of Tsingtao beer are placed on shelves at a supermarket in Shanghai.
Aly Song | Reuters
Chinese beer maker Tsingtao Brewery said Monday that it had contacted authorities about a viral video showing a staff member urinating into one of its tanks, and that an investigation was underway.
The video — which has received ten of millions of views since emerging Thursday on social media site Weibo — shows a uniformed man climbing over a high wall and onto the container before urinating in it.
Tsingtao, China’s second largest brewer, said in a statement that the incident had been reported at the “first opportunity.”
It added that the batch of malt had been sealed off from use.
“The company places high importance on the media reports and has reported the matter to the public security authorities at the first opportunity. The public security authorities are presently involved in the investigation,” the statement said.
Tsingtao, whose beers are ubiquitous across East Asia, did not confirm in the statement whether or not the person in the video was an employee.
The video attracted criticism from netizens on Weibo, with many saying it had put them off the beverage. Others showed support for the brand, insisting that it should investigate the matter thoroughly.
The company said that its production and operations remained fully functioning.
“At present, the production and operation of the company are normal in every respect!,” it added.
Shares of Tsingtao Brewery fell sharply when the Shanghai Stock Exchange opened Monday, but recovered by afternoon trade. The Hong Kong Stock Exchange, where the company is also listed, was closed Monday for a public holiday.
