Fast Food Nastiness

[GeneChing]

Y'all know how much I luv it when an OT thread goes on topic. To quote MickeyD "I'm loving it".

McDonald's, Yum Suspend Meat Supplier in China
OSI's Shanghai Husi 'Appalled' by Allegation That Chicken, Beef Was Past Expiration Date
By Laurie Burkitt, Jacob Bunge and Julie Jargon

Updated July 21, 2014 12:47 p.m. ET


Workers at Shanghai Husi Food Co. in Shanghai. Agence France-Presse/Getty Images

BEIJING—The U.S. owner of a meat supplier in Shanghai apologized and promised a swift response Monday after McDonald's Corp. MCD -1.29% and Yum Brands Inc. YUM +0.47% suspended purchases in China in the wake of allegations it sold expired chicken and beef to restaurants.

McDonald's and Yum, parent of KFC and Pizza Hut, said they halted orders from Shanghai Husi Food Co., owned by OSI Group Inc. of Aurora Ill., after local Chinese media reported that Shanghai Husi was selling meat products beyond their shelf life.

OSI, a longtime supplier to both fast-food companies, said its executives were "appalled" by the report and apologized to its customers and consumers. The company "has formed an investigation team, is fully cooperating with inspections being conducted by relevant, supervising government agencies, and is also conducting its own internal review," it said.

OSI said it thinks the media report showcased an "isolated event" but "takes full responsibility for the situation and will take appropriate actions swiftly." A spokeswoman declined to comment further.

Closely held OSI, which had $6.1 billion in sales last year and ranks among the largest U.S. meat processors, has been active in China since 1991 and currently operates in eight cities there, producing meat as well as produce. OSI began supplying McDonald's Chinese operations in 1992, and Yum in 2008, according to the meat processor's website.

China's official Xinhua News Agency said Monday that government officials suspended the operations of Shanghai Husi, whose officials in China didn't respond to requests for comment.

Food safety is a major concern in China, where food-borne illness and food adulteration are common occurrences and scandals over tainted food products have roiled the meat and dairy industries in recent years. Many consumers shop for import brands and foreign labels, which are believed to have higher standards of quality control.

McDonald's spokeswoman Heidi Barker said Monday that if the practices described in media reports were confirmed, they would be "completely unacceptable to McDonald's."

The company has switched to other suppliers, and was cooperating fully with authorities investigating the issue, Ms. Barker said. She added that a small percentage of McDonald's restaurants in China may have to stop selling a few items on their menus for a day or two while McDonald's obtains meat from other companies.

McDonald's, which has more than 2,000 outlets in China, has been trying to solidify its standing with Chinese consumers. The company faced tough times in the country last year, with sales at stores open 12 months or more down 3.6% compared with 2012.

The development could be a setback for Yum, which has just begun to recover from food-safety issues that had dogged the company for more than a year.

A Chinese media report in November 2012 alleged that two KFC chicken suppliers had been using growth hormones and excessive levels of antibiotics to help chickens grow faster. The claims, which quickly spread online, tapped into widespread consumer fears in China over food safety.

Government officials investigated, and recommended Yum strengthen its poultry supply-chain practices, which Yum said it had done. Still, Yum's sales in China struggled for much of last year, further hurt by a bird-flu outbreak last spring. The company has staged a recovery recently with new menu items and marketing campaigns. Last week, Yum reported that in the second quarter of this year, same-store sales in China rose 15%, driven by 21% growth at KFC. Sales in China account for more than half of Yum's revenue.

Yum said its decision to stop buying meat from Husi would cause temporary supply shortages for two breakfast products at some KFC restaurants and a beef product at Pizza Hut outlets. Yum said it "will not tolerate any violations of government laws and regulations from our suppliers."

[Syn7]

If you go to a place that sells crap and you order crap, you shouldn't be surprised when you get crap. Every once in a while I forget how bad that stuff makes me feel while at the same time remembering how tasty some of it can be. I'll eat like a KFC meal with memories of how much I loved it as a kid and walk away in shame with the knowledge that real payment comes later. I'm almost over it though. Once or twice a year, usually when with others who don't abstain.


I EXPECT the products to be nasty. So yeah, while some of this thread is over the top gross, most of it seems like par for the course as far as I'm concerned. Some of that stuff in China though.... man.... It will be interesting in like 30 years to see these places that have absorbed western fast food culture so quickly. At least we built up to it, and look at our fat broken down asses.

[rett2]

I just skimmed the last page of the thread. Did I understand right that US fast food chains are selling Chinese meat in the US?

[GoldenBrain]

I just skimmed the last page of the thread. Did I understand right that US fast food chains are selling Chinese meat in the US?

Yup. The USDA has green-lighted China to sell chicken meat to the USA. What's worse is they don't have to label it as to where the meat comes from or how it's produced. What's even stranger is how chicken producers here are shipping meat to China for processing which will then return to the USA for consumption.

My answer is either produce your own food or buy local organic...period!

[Jimbo]

I don't trust any food products from China. Period. If something is from China, it should be labeled, or at least there should be some way to be informed about it. Chinese pet food makers were putting toxic crap in them not too long ago. I wouldn't put it past them to do the same with human food. It makes me wonder if it's incompetence, shortcuts, or done purposefully.

IMO, any American company that sells Chinese food products is negligent.

[MarathonTmatt]

I don't trust any food products from China. Period. If something is from China, it should be labeled, or at least there should be some way to be informed about it. Chinese pet food makers were putting toxic crap in them not too long ago. I wouldn't put it past them to do the same with human food. It makes me wonder if it's incompetence, shortcuts, or done purposefully.

IMO, any American company that sells Chinese food products is negligent.

Yeah, it's like all these big companies are ruining our health. One mistake I see a lot of "health conscious" people do is they eat Edamame, which usually comes from China (says it right on the package). I like seafood and all too, but after Fukushima disaster I am suspicious of a lot of Pacific Ocean fish (like tuna.)

[GoldenBrain]

I don't trust any food products from China. Period. If something is from China, it should be labeled, or at least there should be some way to be informed about it. Chinese pet food makers were putting toxic crap in them not too long ago. I wouldn't put it past them to do the same with human food. It makes me wonder if it's incompetence, shortcuts, or done purposefully.

IMO, any American company that sells Chinese food products is negligent.

Yeah, it's like all these big companies are ruining our health. One mistake I see a lot of "health conscious" people do is they eat Edamame, which usually comes from China (says it right on the package). I like seafood and all too, but after Fukushima disaster I am suspicious of a lot of Pacific Ocean fish (like tuna.)

I'm with you both.

The Fukushima thing has me turned off ocean fish permanently. I'll take pictures later in the year when I get the aquaponics operation up and running again. I'm all about raising my own meat at this point. Hahaha, that sounded dirty... You know what I mean though. As far as meat goes we only eat chicken, turkey, fish and some wild game that I hunt like deer and some various birds, oh and the occasional organic grass fed bison from a local farm my friend owns. You can't trust anybody unless it's local enough for you to verify exactly how they are running things.

Just because it's raised in the good ol USA doesn't mean it's safe or ethical either. Take the term natural. According to the legal description it is basically anything that isn't synthetic. Organic, well farms can actually add some percentage of synthetic pesticides and these farms are inspected only once a year, so you really can't be 100% on that one either. Free range only means that once a year the farm has to provide access for the animals to go outside. I used to live in chicken farm central in NC and the place right next to me would harvest chickens 3 times a year. They were free range but lived in long barns by the thousands all year long. They would open the doors of the barn but the stupid chickens were ALWAYS too scared to leave. So they closed the door in the evening and fulfilled their obligation to the term free range. It's ridiculous!!!

Here's something that will help a little bit with produce if you don't have a local source. I'm not entirely sure how to tell about meat and other products yet but I'll post that when I find out.




I'm fortunate that I can produce much of my own produce, and have very trusted local organic sources for meat and produce. My hope is by next year we'll be completely self sufficient for both meat and produce.

[rett2]

Yup. The USDA has green-lighted China to sell chicken meat to the USA. What's worse is they don't have to label it as to where the meat comes from or how it's produced. What's even stranger is how chicken producers here are shipping meat to China for processing which will then return to the USA for consumption.

My answer is either produce your own food or buy local organic...period!

Thanks, good to know.

Not even having to label it? Sometimes I get lulled into believing in progress and then the powers that be go and take an ugly step in the wrong direction.

[Syn7]

Thanks, good to know.

Not even having to label it? Sometimes I get lulled into believing in progress and then the powers that be go and take an ugly step in the wrong direction.

For the most part, people becoming more socially progressive. Some of that is reflected in law, much is not. Popular opinion has less affect on law than you would think. It has very little ability to change or prevent laws that are being bought and paid for by those very few who can afford to buy policy for their own gains. You want a voice? Help end legal bribery. Article V. Do it.