Shanghai: McDonald’s Corp and Yum Brands Inc are facing a new food safety scare in China, denting the fast food giants’ efforts to shore up reputations and businesses that were hurt by a 2012 safety scandal in one of their biggest markets.
McDonald’s and KFC-parent Yum apologised to customers on Monday after Chinese regulators shut a local meat supplier following a TV report that showed workers picking up meat from a factory floor, as well as mixing meat beyond its expiration date with fresh meat. The firms said they’ll stop using the supplier.
The report, which focused on McDonald’s and Yum, brings the pair back into the firing line following the 2012 scandal that involved chicken pumped with excessive amounts of antibiotics. It’s unclear whether the meat supplier, a local unit of US may have sold goods to other clients too. The pair are the top two by sales in China's $174 billion fast food market.
