Food watchdog investigates after diners find battery in hot pot

The food watchdog from Shenzhen in south China’s Guangdong Province has started an investigation after diners found a battery in their boiling hot pot at a local restaurant on April 21, thepaper.cn reported.

A teenage boy surnamed He found a battery while having hot pot with some of his classmates in a restaurant at the MixC Shopping Mall in the city’s Luohu District. The wrapping of the battery had already boiled off when he discovered it.

The pot was cleared away by restaurant staff when He’s father arrived on the scene.

His father was worried that his son may suffer poisoning as the battery contains heavy metals. He blamed the incident on the restaurant’s poor management.

The restaurant staff have launched an internal probe. A restaurant manager surnamed Liu said He and his friends sat on seats not covered by security cameras. Liu was baffled as to where the battery came from, too, and offered to cover the group's medical examination costs.

According to the initial investigation carried out by the city’s food safety watchdog, no violation of rules were detected in the restaurant. Restaurant management were ordered to explain the incident after further investigation.