China meat scandal spreads to Japan

Published July 23, 2014
File photo
File photo

SHANGHAI: A scandal involving expired meat sold by a China unit of US food supplier OSI Group spread to Japan on Tuesday, as McDonald’s confirmed that the now shut factory provided Chicken McNuggets to its restaurants.

Shanghai authorities on Sunday shut an OSI plant — a supplier to McDonald’s and KFC in China — for mixing out-of-date meat with fresh product, re-labelling expired goods and other quality problems following an investigative report by a local television station.

A Tokyo-based spokesman for McDonald’s Japan told AFP the restaurant chain had sourced about 20 per cent of its McNuggets from the Shanghai factory, and had suspended sales of its product since Monday.

Around 500 of McDonald’s restaurants in Japan, a sixth of the total, had temporarily stopped selling McNuggets while the company obtained alternative supplies, he added.

Chinese police were questioning “several” employees of the OSI subsidiary, which is called Shanghai Husi Food Co., in the case, the Shanghai Daily newspaper said. Police could not be reached for comment.

Separately, the China Food and Drug Administration had ordered an investigation of OSI’s factories nationwide, according to a statement.

OSI’s Shanghai factory, set up in 1996, has more than 500 workers with five production lines for items including pork, beef and chicken, according to the group’s website.

OSI is a long-time supplier to McDonald’s in China, starting from 1992, it said.

Published in Dawn, July 23rd , 2014

Follow Dawn Business on Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram and Facebook for insights on business, finance and tech from Pakistan and across the world.

Opinion

Editorial

Disregarding CCI
Updated 04 Nov, 2024

Disregarding CCI

The failure to regularly convene CCI meetings means that the process of democratic decision-making is falling apart.
Defeating TB
04 Nov, 2024

Defeating TB

CONSIDERING the fact that Pakistan has the fifth highest burden of tuberculosis in the world as per the World Health...
Ceasefire charade
Updated 04 Nov, 2024

Ceasefire charade

The US talks of peace, while simultaneously arming and funding their Israeli allies, are doomed to fail, and are little more than a charade.
Concerning measures
Updated 03 Nov, 2024

Concerning measures

The govt must seek political input and consensus on the changes it is seeking to make and be open about its intentions.
Short-lived relief?
03 Nov, 2024

Short-lived relief?

POLICYMAKERS must be jumping with joy. At the close of the first quarter of FY25, the budget posted a consolidated...
Brisk spread
03 Nov, 2024

Brisk spread

THE surge in polio cases has reached distressing levels with a tally of 45 last reported, after two cases emerged in...