Unhygienic Practices Found at Costa Coffee Store in Beijing

A recent undercover investigation at a well-known global coffee chain in Beijing uncovered multiple serious hygiene violations inside the store’s kitchen and service areas. What should have been a controlled, clean environment for food preparation turned out to be a site of blatant disregard for basic food safety standards — including the use of dishwashing sinks for entirely non-kitchen purposes.

Coffee shops like COSTA are expected to meet strict hygiene regulations, yet this Beijing location was found using the plate-washing sink for shampooing hair and cleaning mops, failing to sanitise tea urns during busy hours, and allowing pests near food displays. These violations directly contradict both brand policies and national food safety laws.

Undercover Findings at Beijing COSTA

In March 2024, an undercover journalist took a part-time barista position at the COSTA store located on the second and third floors of Beijing’s Junyao Jiuguang Mall . The outlet is in a prime location in Beijing’s bustling Xidan shopping district, serving office workers and shoppers daily. The reporter worked as a barista assistant, handling used tableware and witnessing numerous breaches of health and safety protocols.

Shampooing Hair in Dishwashing Sink

On April 17 at around 2 p.m., a staff member entered the dishwashing area wearing a black uniform, retrieved a bottle of Pantene shampoo from their locker, and proceeded to wash their hair directly in the sink designated for cleaning customer tableware. The worker soaked their hair under the tap, applied shampoo, lathered, and rinsed — all while used plates remained in the sink. This went on for approximately two minutes, with other employees nearby who neither stopped nor reported the incident.

Mopping Sinks Used for Dish Cleaning

On May 17, another breach was observed when a cleaner, unable to access the dedicated mop sink, used the sink labelled for washing ceramic bowls to rinse a mop. Despite clear signage indicating the sink’s intended use for crockery, the worker proceeded anyway, placing a used mop into the same basin as used tableware.

Tea Urns Not Sanitised During Rush Hours

The investigation also revealed that during busy periods, particularly around 2 p.m. on April 11, cleaned and sanitised tea urns ran out. Staff resorted to taking used tea urns from beside a large waste bin in the back, quickly rinsing them under tap water, and placing them back into service without going through the required high-temperature dishwashing cycle. One employee admitted that tea urns are supposed to be sanitised but said there wasn’t enough time during peak hours, adding that “no customer drinks directly from the spout.”

Pest Sightings Near Food Storage

On April 6 at noon, a dead fly was discovered inside the pastry display cabinet, resting near a bottled drink on the lower shelf. A staff member wearing plastic gloves removed the insect with a tissue and disposed of it in a rubbish bin. The open-style pastry cabinet, with sliding doors, was in an unrestricted area where customers were served, leaving it vulnerable to pest entry whenever the doors were opened. Staff were seen opening the cabinet repeatedly without taking extra care to prevent contamination.

Regulatory Violations and Expert Opinions

According to Article 32 of Chapter 4 in China’s Food Safety Law Implementation Regulations, all tableware and drinkware must be properly cleaned and sanitised. Furthermore, Article 27 Section 8 of the same law mandates that food industry workers maintain personal hygiene and prevent food contamination from unclean surfaces or items. The COSTA location was found in violation of both.

Legal experts pointed out that specialised sinks — such as those for crockery and mop cleaning — must never be used for unrelated activities like personal hygiene. Personal care items and behaviours introduce microbes that can easily compromise food safety. A health enforcement officer noted that while such actions may not be acutely dangerous, residues from shampoos or unsanitary surfaces pose genuine contamination risks. Likewise, food safety specialists criticised the blending of personal and food-handling spaces, stressing that even common habits — like washing a rag in a kitchen sink — have no place in professional food environments.

Frequently Asked Questions

What specific hygiene violations were found at the COSTA in Beijing?

Investigators witnessed a staff member washing their hair in the plate-washing sink, another using the crockery sink to clean a mop, and used tea urns being rinsed but not sanitised during busy periods. A dead fly was also found in the pastry display case, highlighting poor pest control.

Did the staff follow proper food safety protocols?

No. Multiple employees violated both COSTA’s internal hygiene guidelines and China’s national food safety laws. Key rules — such as using designated sinks only for their intended purpose and ensuring all tableware and equipment are sanitised — were ignored.

Were there any legal consequences mentioned in the report?

The article does not specify any penalties or follow-up actions taken against the store, but it cites several laws that the store violated, including the Food Safety Law and its implementation regulations regarding cleanliness and equipment use.

Why were tea urns not sanitised during busy hours?

Staff cited time constraints and high customer volume as reasons for not running used tea urns through the dishwasher. Instead, they were quickly rinsed with tap water and reused, even though they are required to undergo high-temperature disinfection.

What do health experts say about these kinds of violations?

Experts stated that using sinks improperly and allowing personal items or behaviours (like shampooing or mopping) in food prep areas introduces harmful microbes. They also emphasised the importance of keeping food storage areas sealed and free from pests, and criticised the lack of separation between personal and food-handling activities.

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