L

ast Saturday was troubling for many Chinese consumers, as the annual “3·15 Gala”—a state broadcaster CCTV program that has aired since 1991—returned on March 15, World Consumer Rights Day, to expose corporate wrongdoing and illegal business practices.

From defective food and sanitary products to home repair and lottery scams, the scandals exposed by undercover journalists from both the state broadcaster and other news organizations highlight the daily struggles of consumers, especially those with limited economic means. Meanwhile, responses from involved parties and authorities, ranging from apologies to investigations and crackdowns, offered a glimmer of hope for future improvements. Some frustrated consumers, however, managed to find humor in the situation, commenting sarcastically: “I’ve always worried about my health, but after watching the 3·15 Gala, I feel more confident—I’ve survived so many terrible products!“

Still, it’s best to steer clear of the firms and products exposed in this year’s show. Check the list below to see if any of them are in your home.

Dirty secrets of sanitary products

In recent years, more Chinese women have been challenging the persistent period stigma, drawing attention to issues like the high cost and deceptive sizing of sanitary products. Yet, despite this growing awareness, low-quality, under-regulated products continue to flood the market.

As revealed in this year’s gala, a company in Jining, Shandong province, illegally acquired defective goods and production waste from major sanitary pad and diaper manufacturers by bribing staff responsible for their destruction. These materials were then repackaged and sold or recycled for production without any disinfection measures. An undercover reporter learned from the company’s manager that they processed more than 10,000 tons of such waste. Two of their clients sold over 20,000 and 57,000 pieces of disposable period underwear online annually, respectively.

Large quantities of disposable underpants, marketed as “convenient” and “sanitary,” were found to be produced in a similar manner—without sterilization or disinfection—especially in Shangqiu, Henan province. One company alone produced millions of these underpants each year, primarily supplying beauty salons, public bathrooms, and bathhouses.

That same night, local authorities launched investigations into the exposed factories, shutting down relevant companies and detaining their managers. Several well-known brands, including PurCotton and Sofy, whose defective goods had been recycled in these factories, issued official statements denying involvement in the illegal operations. They pledged to strengthen internal investigations and cooperate with authorities to protect consumer rights.

You get what you pay for?

Food safety always takes center stage at each year’s 3·15 Gala. After all, what could be more disturbing than realizing that the food you consume isn’t what you thought it was?

National standards limit phosphate—used to stabilize protein and improve the quality of frozen food—to 0.5 percent, or 5 grams per kilogram. However, CCTV reporters discovered that some companies’ frozen shrimp contained up to 3 percent phosphate. This water-retaining agent, which boosts weight, meant that a 500-gram package of shrimp would only contain 150 grams of actual meat after thawing. Prolonged excessive phosphate intake can also lead to digestive issues, calcium deficiency, and even cardiovascular diseases.

In addition to CCTV’s findings, other state media outlets have reported similarly troubling practices. Beijing News uncovered that many stores of the popular restaurant chain Yangmingyu Braised Chicken and Rice were reselling consumers’ leftovers, using spoiled ingredients, and applying coloring to soured beef to make it appear fresh. Many products marketed as “yogurts” were found to be drinks with little protein but full of additives. Meanwhile, Shanghai-based The Paper exposed a black market operation where meat from foxes and raccoon dogs—raised for their fur and classified as “non-edible” due to hormone use and lack of quarantine—was being sold as beef, rabbit, and dog meat.

While other brands faced public backlash, China’s largest milk tea chain, Mixue Bingcheng, received a very different response after one of its stores was exposed for using overnight lemon and orange slices in a Hubei news program. Instead of outrage, many young consumers brushed it off as a minor issue. Known for its affordable products, like the 4-yuan lemon water, Mixue had just been listed on the Hong Kong stock market earlier this month. Some young consumers showed their support by visiting Mixue stores the day after the “expired fruit scandal,” resulting in a 3 percent increase in its stock price. “I also use overnight lemon,” one netizen commented on Weibo, defending the brand. “If I don’t stand with Mixue this time, all I’ll be left with in the future are overpriced milk teas! “ says another.

Fixing prices

China’s largest home repair platform, Zhuomuniao (Woodpecker), was exposed again this year, following last year’s gala revelations of high service prices in Anhui and Hubei provinces. These new accusations include arbitrary charges and deceiving consumers by exaggerating or fabricating malfunctions.

Founded in 1995, the company now boasts over 100,000 maintenance workers across more than 300 cities in China. However, undercover reporters discovered that one can become a worker after just two days of training. In one case, a worker charged a client over 650 yuan to replace a 91-yuan motor in a washing machine. With the platform taking up to 60 percent of the fees workers earn, many are forced to inflate prices to make a living.

The company’s revenue grew from 400 million in 2021 to 1 billion in 2023, with an annual gross profit margin of over 80 percent. However, it received more than 200,000 complaints each year over the past three years, peaking at 450,000 last year.

Although the company has repeatedly apologized and promised to make changes, the public remains skeptical. One comment under related news articles read: “They apologized last year, but the problems persist. They clearly don’t care about consumers, and apologies are meaningless.”

Digital predators

Receiving scam calls daily has nearly become the norm for many Chinese people. Now mostly powered by AI bots, these robocalls are cheap to produce and operate—costing around 10,000 yuan annually per bot, which can make up to thousands of calls a day, according to a CCTV report revealed during this year’s gala.

A manager named Tian from a Shanghai-based tech company demonstrated to an undercover reporter that how AI can adapt conversations based on customer reactions, using voices that sound like real people. “It can act just like a real person,” said Tian. The company claims to have provided services to over 5,000 businesses across various industries, such as education, healthcare, construction, and financial loans.

The report also revealed that some companies, including Tian’s, sell personal information such as purchasing habits and phone numbers collected through big data. “If I want to access business-related information near Jinniu district, I can pull up 1.3 million data entries from people who have shared their information in this area, all within seconds,” said Tian.

To bypass regulations, these companies obtain virtual numbers from virtual operators, which don’t require physical cards or real-name registration. Some even hide their actual addresses and automatically match local numbers to gain trust.

In addition to scam calls, obtaining online loans has become much easier—and riskier—in recent years. Major digital lending platforms like Renrenxin and Jiedaibao were exposed during this year’s gala for promoting high-interest lending. In early 2025, a person surnamed Hong borrowed 5,000 yuan through Jiedaibao but only received 3,500 yuan, with the rest deducted as interest.

Reporters later uncovered that, despite these platforms claiming to provide legally binding online agreements, the actual transactions often occurred off-platform via payment apps like WeChat or Alipay. This made it impossible for borrowers to identify lenders, complicating legal action against predatory practices such as excessive interest rates and aggressive collection tactics, both of which the platforms were found to permit and even encourage. A manager from Renrenxin disclosed tactics used to bypass legal oversight, including creating fake accounts to hide the identities of lenders.

In response to the scandal, Jiedaibao suspended the issuance of new loans. A special team has been formed to conduct a comprehensive review and implement corrective measures.

Best of luck

Many consumers are increasingly bombarded by pop-up lottery ads when dealing with daily tasks online, such as scanning QR codes to pay for parking, issue invoices, or even retrieve deliveries from pickup points. This year’s 3·15 Gala exposed how these seemingly harmless lotteries often turn out to be elaborate scams.

A reporter demonstrated how such a lottery scam works: she attempted to issue a digital invoice via Nuonuo.com, a leading financial management platform, and immediately encountered a pop-up lottery after entering her information. Nearly all users would win the lottery, and be given the chance to purchase a 200-yuan phone bill coupon at a lower price. But they would later discover that they had to top up 4,000 yuan in phone credit over the next 15 months to use the coupon.

The investigation traced the scam to Duiba Group, a Hangzhou-based company specializing in interactive advertising. A company representative proudly explained how they profit from “silent users.” “If you invest 1 million yuan in mobile recharge coupons, you will rake in 1.5 million yuan in returns in just a day,” he claimed. Other prizes in the lottery scams include one-month memberships to streaming platforms (which automatically renew the following month without notifying consumers) and counterfeit alcohol sold at inflated prices.

Nuohe, another Hangzhou-based company, was aware of the deceptive nature of these lottery scams and registered multiple business licenses using illegally obtained ID cards to open new payment channels after being shut down by authorities. A representative claimed their lottery business model could generate a daily turnover of 2 billion yuan.

Following the gala, Duiba issued an apology via their official WeChat account and established an internal investigation team. Their WeChat account, however, was later suspended by the platform.