Time-tested brands must still be modernized

TONGRENTANG, a time-honored brand based in Beijing, sells honey mixed with herbs as one of its products. Yet Yancheng Jinfeng, one of its honey suppliers, reportedly supplies it with out-of-date honey. Tongrentang has apologized to its customers. But the reports have already dealt a heavy blow to its reputation. The Mirror comments:

The local food and drug administration of Daxing district, Beijing municipality, has said it is investigating the case. But although there is no conclusion about the exact responsibility of Tongrentang yet, at the least its supervision over its suppliers would appear to be not up to scratch. That in turn shows Tongrentang has a not-so-good internal management system, which is a common problem among many time-honored brands.

According to official data, the number of time-honored brands has already dropped from 16,000 in the early 1950s to 1,128 today.