Consumers clamor for classic popsicles

One of China's oldest ice cream brands, Bright, refused to increase the price of its signature saltwater and green bean popsicles, saying consumer concerns - that the product is not competitive with foreign brands and is increasingly hard to find - are misplaced.

"We are overwhelmed by consumers' appeals. But since we already had a price increase at the end of last summer and we are doing perfectly well in terms of cost and profit, we won't adjust the price of our products this year," Zhao Jun, general secretary of State-owned Shanghai Yimin No 1 Food Factory, said at a news conference on Wednesday.

A report several weeks ago said the popsicles - a Shanghai classic that's been around for more than half a century - are disappearing from the city's retail landscape. It was followed by several other posts on social media platforms that sparked an outcry among local consumers, who asked the factory to "charge however much it wants" and "bring back their childhood flavors".