McDonald's and KFC in China faced a new food safety scare after a Shanghai television station reported a supplier sold them expired beef and chicken.
The companies said on July 21 they immediately stopped using meat from Husi Food Co. The official Xinhua News Agency said authorities ordered the supplier to suspend operations and were investigating.
Dragon TV said on July 20 that Husi, owned by OSI Group of Aurora, Illinois, repackaged stale beef and chicken and put new expiration dates on them. It said they were sold to McDonald's, KFC and Pizza Hut restaurants.
The report added to a series of food safety scares in China that have battered public confidence in dairies, fast food outlets and other suppliers.
McDonald's Corp. and Yum Brands Inc., which owns KFC, Pizza Hut and Taco Bell, said in separate statements they were conducting their own investigations.
"Food safety is a top priority for McDonald's," the company said on its microblog account. The company said it pursues "strict compliance" with consumer safety laws and regulations and has "zero tolerance for illegal behavior."
A third company, sandwich shop chain Dicos, said in a statement it stopped using sausage patties supplied by Husi. Dicos is owned by Taiwan's Ting Hsin International Group and the company’s website said it had 2,000 outlets in China as of September 2013.
By Ruchi Singh

reporter

Park Sae-jin swatchsjp@ajunews.com