“Ice cream made 3 years ago costs 15,000 won” ... Controversy over luxury hotel in Yeosu

[Financial News] A claim has emerged that a luxury hotel in Yeosu, South Jeolla Province, is selling ice cream manufactured nearly 3 years and 3 months ago for 15,000 won. After criticism that the hotel, where a night costs 400,000 won, was selling an old product, criticism of its product management practices continued.
On the 11th, a post criticizing the manufacture date of ice cream sold at a hotel in Yeosu appeared on social media. It read, “Three-year-old, aged-like-kimchi Natuur must taste incredible.”
A, who stayed at the hotel, claimed that the products it sold were not being properly managed given the cost of the accommodation. A expressed dissatisfaction, saying, “A hotel that charges 400,000 won per night is selling this kind of ice cream for 15,000 won.”
A also expressed dissatisfaction with visiting Yeosu because of what happened at the hotel. A wrote, “The already-failed Yeosu Island Expo must have left the whole city thinking of nothing but cashing in. I will never visit Yeosu again.”
The photos A posted showed two varieties of Natuur ice cream displayed in the hotel’s freezer. The manufacture dates printed on the bottoms of the product containers were also visible.
The manufacture dates shown for the products were July 18, 2023, for the green tea flavor and September 24, 2024, for the Seongsu Collection product.
As of when the post was made public, the green tea product had been manufactured about 3 years and 3 months earlier. The ice cream container in the photo also appeared faded.
However, an old manufacture date alone does not establish that a product has passed its use-by date. Ice cream often does not have a separate use-by date displayed, and a recommended shelf life of about one year from the manufacture date is sometimes used.
After the photo was shared, criticism followed online, with people questioning whether there was a problem with the hotel’s product management. Users commented, “Even though it’s frozen, it’s dairy, so you’d definitely get an upset stomach if you ate it,” and “Isn’t this deceiving consumers?”
[email protected] Han Seung-gon Reporter