December 21, 2012
Due to the use of chemical-laced feed to accelerate growth of chickens, two slaughterhouses in Shandong, China, including one that supplied chickens to KFC and McDonald's, have been ordered to stop production until samples can be tested.
Chicken suppliers Liuhe Group Co. and Yingtai Food Group Co. did not properly inspect chickens they bought from farmers in Shandong province before delivering the poultry, a television report said.
So far, there has been no news of KFC or McDonald's outlets being shut. A report by Chinese state media said KFC China knew about the violation between 2010 and 2011 after conducting tests, yet it did nothing to stop the supply of chicken from the Shandong provider, which ships about 50 tonnes of chicken to KFC every month. The report also claimed that KFC China only removed the said supplier in August this year. Meanwhile, KFC's Chinese subsidiary said it will work closely with authorities on the case.
To assure the public, McDonald's wrote on its official microblog - that its chicken and raw materials pass through independent, third-party laboratory tests. They released a statement saying, "Our chicken products comply with stringent food quality standards and comply with the relevant government standards."
McDonald's and KFC say they are working with Chinese suppliers to ensure food safety after state television claimed the restaurants' suppliers sold chicken injected with anti-viral drugs and growth hormones.
The health risks for consuming chicken which have been fed with growth-acceleration feed is still unclear. Under China's Regulations for Recalling Food Products, companies which failed to call back tainted food items are only fined a maximum of CNY30,000 (US$4800).
Authorities said the people responsible for the farms have also been detained by police and placed under investigation while the Shandong government is investigating related chicken farms. Several cities including Shanghai and Beijing are also conducting tests on poultry samples supplied to KFC outlets.
