Starbucks, the world's largest coffee company, is in hot waters after reports surfaced that one of its locations was using tap water from a nearby toilet.
Photos have been circulating online of a Starbucks branch, located in the financial district of Hong Kong, using water from a tap located at the parking lot of the building. The branch currently being shot by the consumers is the one located within the famous Bank of China Tower.
In the series of pictures, a male staffer from the coffee shop retrieves water from a tap with a 'Starbucks Only' sign, just a few steps away from a urinal, in a grubby parking lot bathroom. The man fills up a cart full of water to be used for coffee and other Starbucks beverages in the shop. They say this was done because there were no nearby faucets in the coffee shop.
According to Apple Daily, a Chinese news site, the process was done over 70 times a day. The water retrieving process was employed ever since the location opened in October 2011.
However, Starbucks told AFP that the method was only done less than five times a day; and that the tap was really dedicated for collecting drinking water.
"There is no direct water supply to that particular store, that's why we need to obtain the drinking water from the nearest source in the building," Starbucks Spokeswoman, Wendy Pang, told the news source.
The news has enraged customers of Starbucks, not only in Hong Kong but also across the world.
"Totally disappointed! The initial decision by Starbucks to use water from toilet is a clear sign of your company's vision and the level of [dis]respect your company has for the health and mind of your customers," wrote Kevin L on the Starbucks Hong Kong Facebook wall, as reported by AFP.
"I'm now really worried when I purchase coffee from Starbucks. Who knows which other stores are using the similar practice! Scary!!" he wrote.
"I stick to my McCafe and the water is not from a toilet!" commented Cristiane Guimaraes commented on her Facebook wall, reports AFP.
Hong Kong University School of Public Health Associate Professor, Benjamin Cowling, also noted that the transfer of pathogens and other bacteria could cause health issues to consumers.
While customers say they will boycott the coffee shop for endangering their health, Pang affirms the consumers that the Starbucks branch is already using distilled water for its beverages.
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