China ‘Goose Leg Auntie’ celebrated for street snacks slammed for using inexpensive duck legs

China’s “Goose Leg Auntie” has come under fire after allegedly selling cheaper duck legs as raw materials.Chen Xiufeng, a 56-year-old street vendor in Beijing, built a loyal following with her 16 yuan (US$2) roast “goose legs”, promoted through social media pre-order groups.After arriving in Beijing in 2000 to sell fruit outside university gates, Chen later became known as “Goose Leg Auntie” because students queued at night for her popular goose leg snack.Students from two top universities even competed to secure her exclusive presence off-campus.Customers flock around Chen Xiufeng, in pink helmet, as she runs her stall. Photo: QQ.comIn March 2024, Chen was invited to speak at a Peking University women’s entrepreneurship forum, where she championed “rules and quality” and said trust was the bedrock of her business.Once hailed as a grass roots success story with plans to expand into Beijing’s central business district, she is now embroiled in a food safety controversy over her ingredients.On June 9, an anonymous customer accused Chen of selling duck legs as goose legs. She later admitted in a group notice that the claim was true, while denying any fraud.Chen told the Yangtse Evening News she had switched to duck legs years ago because goose legs were hard to source, arguing that “Goose Leg Auntie” was a familiar brand name rather than a literal description.She said that genuine goose legs would cost more than 30 yuan (US$4) each.Mainland reports said frozen goose in Beijing costs 10 to 13 yuan, compared with just 3.5 yuan for a frozen duck leg at wholesale.The 56-year-old Chen attends to night-time customers at her stall. Photo: QQ.comThe revelation prompted anger among many customers.Further ReadingOne student said they felt “heartbroken and betrayed” after learning the snack that had accompanied much of their university life was not goose leg, and called for a refund and compensation.Others alleged the meat appeared greenish and caused diarrhoea and vomiting. Chen replied that the colour came from a spring onion juice marinade, which she insisted was harmless and additive-free.Some students defended her, saying she had braved winter nights to avoid disappointing customers and that, at such a low price, buyers should not have expected a real goose leg.China-newsweek" class="entity-link entity-organization" data-entity-id="124704" data-entity-type="organization">China Newsweek reported that Chen could earn up to 600,000 yuan (US$90,000) a year after labour and rent costs, while public records show she registered several “Goose Leg Auntie” trademarks across food and other categories.On June 11, local market regulators said they were investigating possible consumer misrepresentation. Peking University has since deleted a post about her forum appearance.A long queue of Chen’s customers, above, stretches way off into the distance. Photo: QQ.comChen told Hongxing News she was cooperating, wanted to apologise to students and was willing to accept punishment.A Zhejiang Fengguo Law Firm lawyer said the available evidence suggested Chen was highly likely to have committed civil fraud.One online observer of the story said: “Chen took advantage of the students’ goodwill. Rather than saying she was a beloved entrepreneur, it would be more accurate to say she was a shrewd businesswoman.”While another said: “The students are the real victims. They thought they were supporting a grass-roots heroine, only to be served a harsh lesson before entering society.”