Shanghai Ziyan Foods (SH:603057) Feng Huang Wang Cai Jing·2025-12-25 12:44Core Viewpoint - The incident involving a staff member at a Ziyuan Food store stealing beef has sparked significant public outrage, highlighting ongoing issues with food safety and customer trust within the company [1][4][6]. Group 1: Incident Details - A video surfaced showing a staff member at a Ziyuan Food store secretly taking beef from a customer's order, leading to widespread complaints from customers who felt they were receiving less meat than paid for [1][2][3]. - Ziyuan Food responded by forming a special task force to investigate the incident, confirming the misconduct and taking immediate actions such as closing the store, firing the employee, and offering compensation to affected customers [4][6]. Group 2: Food Safety Issues - This incident is not isolated; Ziyuan Food has faced multiple food safety controversies, including previous violations where products failed microbiological tests, with some samples exceeding safety limits by up to 290 times [6][9]. - The company has a history of food safety complaints, with over 600 complaints recorded, including issues of missing weight and contamination [14]. Group 3: Business Model and Management Challenges - Ziyuan Food primarily operates through a distribution model, with 79.32% of its revenue coming from distributors, which limits direct control over franchise operations and contributes to management challenges [15][16]. - The company's reliance on distributors has led to insufficient oversight, as evidenced by recurring food safety issues and customer complaints [16][18]. Group 4: Financial Performance - In the first three quarters of 2025, Ziyuan Food reported a revenue of 2.514 billion yuan, a decline of 6.43% year-on-year, with net profit dropping by 44.37% to 194 million yuan [21][22]. - The company's financial health is deteriorating, with a 39.23% decrease in net cash flow from operating activities and an increase in debt, leading to a rise in the debt-to-asset ratio to 49.31% [24][25]. Group 5: Strategic Transition - Facing a crisis, Ziyuan Food is attempting to transform its business model through strategies focused on youth engagement, globalization, and digitalization, although these efforts have led to increased upfront costs without immediate financial returns [26][27]. - The new management team, which has recently taken over, faces the dual challenge of addressing immediate operational crises while pursuing long-term strategic goals [27][28].