One of Shanghai’s most iconic bakery franchises, Farine, was shut down on Thursday because of using expired flour.

That’s all because of a whistleblower, who asks to remain anonymous, took secret videos of mouldy flour that had turned from white to yellow, and sacks laden with mildew stains. He later posted them on social media, triggering an outcry in Shanghai.

“My boss wouldn’t let me talk about it, otherwise he said I’d be fired. I used to question him about the mouldy flour. I asked if we still value social responsibility. My boss said to me, ‘I don’t have social responsibility’”, said the whistleblower.

Investigators say Farine had purchased discounted flour that was nearing its expiration date to cut costs. The authorities didn’t take long to act. All of Farine’s five shops in Shanghai were shut down on Thursday, and up until that, the bakery was still using flour that had expired, some by as early as last July.  

The owner of Farine, a Frenchman named Franck Pecol, operates several other popular coffee shops and ice-cream stands along Wukang Road. Citizens are astonished. “I now have huge distrust towards the whole bakery industry. I live nearby and this bakery has always gotten great reviews even though they’re expensive. I never thought this could happen to a brand we that trusted so much. Now I have concerns about all other brands”, said one customer of Farine.

The owners were taken into custody. And this is all thanks to the employee who took the videos.

Shanghai launched a “whistleblower” program in 2015, after the central government published its harshest food safety laws in its history that year. According to the program, that employee will receive a financial reward. “With the whistleblower system, businesses’ employees have become both producers as well as quality supervisors. They will keep businesses responsible”, said Wang Zhe, deputy chief of the market inspection bureau of Shanghai’s Minhang district.