Commentary | Are NFC Juices Just Reconstituted Mixes? Don't Wait for Media Exposure to Crack Down

Recently, news that "several NFC juice production workshops in Henan had no fruit at all" drew public attention. According to Qilu TV, journalists conducted undercover visits to multiple contract manufacturers in Henan and found that many beverages marketed under the labels "freshly squeezed," "100% juice," and "NFC juice" were produced in workshops with no fruit and no fresh-squeezing equipment. These so-called "cold-pressed fresh fruit juices" were entirely made by mixing water with concentrated juice base.

On July 16, the Food Safety Office of the Luohe City Government in Henan stated that local authorities, market regulators, public security, and other departments had launched in-depth investigations into five companies involved. According to preliminary findings, Henan Zanyang Beverage Co., Ltd. and Luohe Shennong Biotechnology Co., Ltd. are suspected of false labeling and have been placed under formal investigation; they have been ordered to immediately pull all non-compliant products from shelves and recall them. The other three companies remain under deep investigation, and any confirmed violations will be dealt with severely in accordance with the law.

"NFC" stands for "Not From Concentrate." Sold under the banners of "freshly squeezed," "100% juice," and "NFC juice," yet actually produced by mixing water with concentrated base — such bait-and-switch conduct deceives consumers and crosses the legal red line of market operation.

The Law on the Protection of Consumer Rights and Interests clearly stipulates that operators must provide consumers with truthful and complete information regarding the quality, performance, intended use, and validity period of goods or services, and must not engage in false or misleading advertising.

Yet the exposed manufacturers, in pursuit of maximum profit, repackage cheap base-mixed juice as premium fresh-squeezed products. Worse still, some play word games — deliberately reordering the labels "NFC" and "100% juice" on the packaging to obscure the product's true nature, misleading consumers while attempting to evade legal risk.

A reconstituted mix is a reconstituted mix, and it should be labeled clearly and plainly. No matter how the companies in question play with words or pull clever tricks on the packaging, they cannot change the fact that they are making false claims and infringing upon consumers' right to know.

It is worth noting that one manufacturer defended itself by saying, "At such a low price, fresh fruit squeezing is impossible" — an excuse that, of course, does not hold up. Many consumers are willing to pay for NFC juice precisely because of its fresh-squeezed, additive-free qualities; a low price is no justification for deceiving consumers, let alone a shield for violating the law.

It is the responsible thing for authorities to handle the matter strictly in accordance with the law, showing no tolerance or indulgence — this is both a duty to consumers and a necessary step to uphold fair market competition. But law enforcement and rectification cannot stop there.

The report notes that one of the companies involved was fined and had over 110,000 yuan confiscated this past June for false labeling and concealing the true composition of its ingredients. Barely a month later, the company repeated the same trick — which forces the question: is it that the company is brazen enough to offend again and again, or that the penalties are too weak and the cost of breaking the law too low?

Regulators cannot keep waiting for media exposure before passively launching after-the-fact accountability for the illegal conduct of the companies involved.

As in this case, simply walking into a company's production workshop to check whether there is any fruit or any fresh-squeezing equipment would easily reveal the clues of consumer fraud. The fact that these companies have long muddled through, passing off inferior goods as quality products and only revealing their "true colors" after an undercover media investigation, shows that oversight still needs to be strengthened.

Law enforcement should take the initiative and establish a routine, normalized spot-check mechanism — especially closely supervising companies with a "record." Once a company is found to repeatedly violate laws and regulations, it should be punished severely to create a deterrent effect.

Moreover, this debacle is not an isolated case but involves as many as five companies — does this suggest that passing off reconstituted mixes as fresh-squeezed has become an unspoken, widespread practice among some companies? Are the many affordable NFC juices on the market likewise engaged in bait-and-switch false advertising? Regulators should conduct a focused, comprehensive cleanup to safeguard market order and protect consumers' legitimate rights and interests.

Operating with integrity is the foundation of a market economy. When consumers buy NFC fresh-squeezed juice, they are buying the assurance of something pure and natural, free of additives. Companies must not betray that expectation, blinded by short-term gains. Passing off base-mixed juice as fresh-squeezed deceives consumers, and what it ultimately destroys is the company's own brand — even as it mortgages the future of the entire industry.