Sulbing apologizes over hygiene video, vows stricter sanitation checks

Shaved-ice franchise Sulbing has apologized after a video showing a part-time worker's food-handling practices spread online and sparked a hygiene controversy.

Sulbing posted an apology on its homepage Wednesday, saying "We sincerely apologize to all customers who love Sulbing for the hygiene management issues at one of our franchise stores."

Sulbing said it is "strictly verifying the facts based on the work process at the time and statements from the person who uploaded the video, while also conducting a comprehensive hygiene inspection of the store's kitchen facilities, ingredient management and workflow."

The company added that, separately from the fact-finding process, it would require all franchise locations to conduct self-inspections while headquarters carries out its own special checks in parallel. It said it would "strengthen education on hygiene management standards and review our entire on-site management system to prevent the same problem from recurring."

Sulbing said it "takes seriously the responsibility of headquarters for falling short in franchise management," adding that it would use the incident as an opportunity to revisit store hygiene standards and inspection procedures "so that customers can use our stores with confidence."

The Sulbing Franchisee Council also issued a separate statement, saying the video "caused great disappointment" and that "regardless of the reason, all franchisees bear responsibility for failing to protect customer trust."

The council said the incident was "devastating" for store owners who had quietly upheld hygiene standards with care, and pledged to "apply stricter standards and do our utmost to restore trust so that customers can return to our stores with confidence."

The controversy began Monday, when a video titled "Experiencing a summer part-time job at Sulbing" spread across multiple online communities. The clip showed a kitchen worker, apparently male, moving his hands rapidly while wearing blue sanitary gloves — grabbing a dishcloth and then handling shaved-ice toppings including crackers and mango without changing gloves. Toward the end of the video, the same gloved hands were shown clearing leftover food from a customer's table, washing dishes and wiping a drain strainer.

Online commenters reacted with sharp criticism, writing: "That's too much — gloves are supposed to protect your hands, not the food," "Apparently gloves make you invincible," "Washing your bare hands between tasks would actually be more hygienic," "What's even the point of wearing gloves?" and "At least use tongs for the bread and rubber gloves for the dishes."

jshan@heraldcorp.com