On March 27, reports emerged indicating that Wahaha had issued an urgent notice the previous day to suspend approximately 70% of its factory production lines. The temporary halt affected multiple facilities operated by both Wahaha and its affiliate Hongsheng Group, with production expected to resume around April 2.

Hongsheng Group had notified several of its factories a day earlier that operations would be paused for one week. With the exception of the plant producing red Wahaha bottled water, nearly all other factories were idled.

A source familiar with the matter stated, "Subsidiaries across the country—even those producing AD Calcium Milk and Nutri-Express—were instructed to halt production immediately."

Later on March 27, an insider clarified to reporters that the move was not a full shutdown but part of a routine production scheduling adjustment. The Chinese New Year period typically sees high demand for fast-moving consumer goods, and Wahaha had built up significant inventory ahead of the holiday. Some products remained in surplus, prompting internal adjustments to production plans to better manage stock levels.

Regarding public speculation surrounding the scheduling changes, the source suggested that the management style of Kelly Zong may differ from that of her father, founder Zong Qinghou. While such inventory adjustments were not typical under the previous leadership, the current measures are not indicative of a production stoppage.