Chinese brewer Tsingtao says a worker who was filmed urinating into a malt container has been detained by security authorities.
A video showing a man dressed in a hard hat and blue overalls climbing down into a malt container at the beer factory in Pingdu, unzipping his trousers and relieving himself went viral last week.
The company said in a statement that in response to the incident, which went viral last week on Chinese social media, it has adopted a slew of measures to strengthen monitoring of employee behaviour and to prevent such incidents in the future.
Tsingtao, which describes itself as the sixth-largest global beer maker, previously said they have sealed all batches linked to the incident.
A source told local outlet Yicai that the man filmed was not a Tsingtao employee, but a loader hired by a third-party labour supplier.
The incident damaged Tsingtao stock, as shares on the Shanghai Stock Exchange dropped by 7.5% on 23 October.
The company said last week: “Our company attaches high importance to the relevant video that emerged from Tsingtao Brewery No. 3 on 19 October.
“We reported the incident to the police at the earliest opportunity, and public security organisations are involved in the investigation.
“At present, the batch of malt in question has been completely sealed. The company continues to strengthen its management procedures and ensure product quality.”
