For many Hong Kong residents who traveled abroad during the recent Easter long weekend, a nasty surprise awaited at local e-commerce self-pickup points.
A "nightmare" scenario unfolded as uncollected online orders of fresh produce decayed, leading to disgusting scenes of maggots infesting packages and prompting warnings from collection center operators.
Hundreds of maggots condemned as irresponsible
A video that recently went viral online captures the stomach-turning aftermath. The clip shows a package crawling with what appears to be hundreds of maggots.
According to a post from a pickup point owner, the package, which contained fresh fruit ordered from a mainland e-commerce platform before the holiday, was discovered after the break.
The shop owner described finding the parcel completely soaked through with liquid, its cardboard shell blackened and deformed.
Upon opening it, a powerful, foul stench of decay was released, revealing a writhing mass of white maggots among the rotten fruit pulp. The disgusting scene had also begun to affect other customers' parcels.
The incident drew swift condemnation from netizens, who criticized the buyer for their lack of responsibility in ordering perishable goods right before a long public holiday.
Many also questioned the logic of ordering easily spoiled items like fruit online, which poses significant food safety risks.
Logistics operators urge caution before holidays
Speaking to Sing Tao Probe, operators of these collection points shared their own horror stories and highlighted the risks.
A person in charge of a pickup point in Tai Po, identified as Lan Lan, said her location also dealt with a foul-smelling, leaking package that turned out to contain rotten fruit.
She explained that there are major risks when ordering fresh produce around holidays.
Customs checks can delay shipments by an extra day or two, compromising freshness. Furthermore, collection points may be closed for several days, meaning goods can be left sitting for much longer than customers anticipate.
Humid and rainy weather can also cause cardboard boxes to soften and break, while the pressure from being stacked with other goods can crush the fruit inside, accelerating decay and creating a breeding ground for flies and maggots.
Wong, who runs a pickup point in Yuen Long, echoed these concerns, stating that ordering fresh food is extremely risky.
He recalled an incident where a customer's order of passion fruit fermented in the heat and burst inside his warehouse, damaging surrounding parcels.
He advised that customers should always aim to collect their parcels on the day of arrival and actively contact the staff to coordinate a time if they cannot.
The operators stressed that their duty is to receive and store goods, but they cannot guarantee the freshness of perishable items, urging the public to avoid buying fresh food online before long holidays.
