Liugui Mango Sparkling Water Scandal: Marketing Firm Forged SGS Reports, Faces Legal Action

A marketing company has been caught in a scandal involving a "mango-flavored" sparkling water that contained no mango at all, leading to legal consequences for its representative. The incident occurred in Kaohsiung's Liugui District, an area known for its Jin Huang mangoes, as part of a local tourism promotion initiative.

The company, which won a bid for the "Liugui Local Creation Plan Tourism Integrated Marketing" project, was contracted to provide a "Liugui mango-flavored sparkling water." However, when the product was submitted for inspection, officials immediately noticed the absence of any mango components. The company's representative, identified by the surname Chen, then allegedly resorted to forging SGS (a global testing and certification company) food inspection reports on two separate occasions to deceive the district office.

Facing pressure to meet project deadlines and contractual obligations, Chen submitted a falsified "SGS Food Laboratory - Taipei Test Report" in July of the previous year. When the district office remained suspicious, Chen submitted a second forged report in September, insisting that the sparkling water contained mango. This led to the district office filing a complaint, and the case was investigated by the Qiaotou District Prosecutors Office.

During the trial, Chen admitted to the charges. The court considered his cooperative attitude and the fact that he had settled the breach of contract penalties and performance bonds, compensating for the losses incurred by the Liugui District Office and SGS. Consequently, Chen was sentenced to five months in prison, suspended for two years, and ordered to pay NT$30,000 (approximately $920 USD) to the public treasury for exercising the use of forged private documents. The verdict is subject to appeal.