Grassroots trade war? Chinese student sues Disneyland over no-outside-food policy

A student in Shanghai, who had to dump snacks that Disneyland would not allow her to bring in, is suing the company over the policy which exists only in theme parks Disney opened in Asia, local media reports.

The student and her friends went to visit the Shanghai Disneyland in January, but guards said they had to either finish or discard the snacks they had with them. The entertainment park has banned all outside food with the exception of small bottles of non-alcoholic drinks in 2017.

After being forced to dump $6.60 worth of munchies the group was understandably irritated. One of them, a law student surnamed Wang, decided to take the US entertainment giant to court to overturn the ban and get compensation. The case is now pending a final decision after being heard in April.

Coming amid the trade war between the US and Beijing, the David-and-Goliath court battle seems to have struck a chord with many netizens in China, who hailed Wang as a champion of consumer rights against greedy corporations that rip off customers, the Global Times reports. The no-outside-food-at-Disneyland policy exists only in Shanghai, Hong Kong and Tokyo, it is said.

It’s not clear if Wang has any chance of scoring a win against Disney. A similar lawsuit against the park was rejected last year. On the other hand, in 2014, a college student in Shandong province won a lawsuit against a local cinema which didn’t allow outside food.

Disney says its rules are no different from those of many other Chinese theme parks.

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