Chinese Starbucks Admits Using ‘Toilet Water’ to Make Coffee
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Spencer Platt/Getty Images(HONG KONG) — While many argue whether or not Starbucks coffee is worth the premium price, customers at a Hong Kong location can decidedly argue in the negative.
Employees at the Starbucks, located in the Bank of China Tower, admitted a spigot in the bathroom not far from the urinal, labeled “Starbucks Only,” has been used to make coffee since 2011, according to the tabloid Apple Daily. The publication first posted pics of the dingy bathroom and the spigot’s unhygienic location, and the photos quickly went viral.
A spokeswoman for the coffee giant says the water had been passed through a filtration system to meet World Health Organization standards. However, that doesn’t discount possible contamination to and from the bathroom environment, experts say.
The location is now using bottled, distilled water.
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