KFC Tightens Control of Chicken Suppliers
CHINA - KFC said it will encourage its suppliers to adopt new chicken breeding methods in a campaign to tighten quality control after the fast-food chain's sales dropped due to the "instant chicken" scandal.
28 March 2013
2 minute read
According to ShanghaiDaily.com, KFC said that some of its suppliers will now raise chickens with their own feed and also slaughter them. In the past, the company purchased chickens from small farms.
A subsidiary of fast food giant Yum Brands Inc, KFC said that by the end of 2014 more than 60 per cent of its chickens are expected to be purchased from suppliers using the new breeding method.
Sam Su, chairman of Yum Restaurants China, said: "The new method will dramatically decrease the risk of chickens catching diseases and reduce the times for using drugs."
Mr Su said KFC will start doing its own tests on chicken quality and the results would be reported to local governments regularly.
Earlier the company announced it had eliminated more than 1,000 small chicken farms from its suppliers.
In December, state-run CCTV reported that chickens used by KFC were fed chemicals and 18 types of antibiotics to make them grow faster.
Yum Brands Inc reportedly said early this month that its China sales slid 20 per cent in January and February following the scare over its chicken suppliers.
