Food scandal rocks foreign brands in China

An uproar over expired meat casts doubt over consumer safety.

Chinese consumers, already beleaguered with tales of gutter oil, fake iPhones, kitten kebabs and even counterfeit chestnuts, are now beginning to question the quality of previously trusted brands after investigators found fast food chains were using out-of-date meat in their meals.

McDonald’s, Starbucks, Burger King and KFC were all found to have sourced meat from Shanghai Husi Food Co Ltd, a unit of US-based OSI Group LLC, which was the subject of a TV expose.

The report showed staff picking up meat from the floor and adding it to the mix alongside clearly out-of-date produce.

China’s food watchdog has since ordered regional offices to carry out spot checks on all firms using Shanghai Husi products, stating the case would be handed over to the police. It had already ordered McDonald’s to seal more than 4,500 boxes of meat and Yum Brands' Pizza Hut to seal more than 500.

Food safety and consumer protection has been a hot topic in China since the distribution of unsafe dairy products led to the deaths of six infants and made many thousands more unwell.

Previously, well-known foreign brands were seen as a hallmark of quality, but a string of recent reports against companies like VW, Walmart, Apple and now fast-food chains has led consumers to question them.