September 12, 2007

McDonald's sources 70 percent of its chickens from China: Report

A Chinese Web site has reported that since the beginning of 2007, 70 percent of the chicken sold worldwide by McDonald's, the world's largest fast food chain, was supplied by three poultry and meat processors in Weifang City, Shandong province.

The Web site, chinainfoworld.com, cited information apparently given out by the Weifang Entry-Exit Inspection and Quarantine Bureau on September 9. McDonald's signed goods supply agreements with Weifang Kaijia Foodstuff, Zhucheng Foreign Trade and Shandong Xinchang Group, the report said.

In 2006, Weifang City had poultry and meat processing capacity of 700,000 tonnes.

The online report may well reignite the debate on safety of China's food products. It could also give Beijing a chance to reinforce that China's food exports are fit for human consumption.