McDonald’s Macau admits to using Husi products

McDonald’s Macau has released a statement, admitting that it used products provided by Shanghai Husi Food Co Ltd, the company that was shut down by mainland food safety authorities after it was revealed to have used meat beyond its expiry date.
McDonald’s Macau explained that the Civic and Municipal Affairs Bureau has already suspended the importation of all products from Husi China. This suspension, the company said, will only affect the availability of the McCrispy Chicken Burger.
“McDonald’s Macau always strictly follows all food safety regulations and standards set by the Macau government. At this point, since IACM suspended importation of HUSI products from China, we no longer use any HUSI products in our Macau restaurants,” the company states.
Regarding another of its products – chicken patties –
McDonald’s said that these are imported from Husi Beijing. Due to the suspension, McDonald’s has also stopped importing from Husi Beijing. The company also reiterated that McDonald’s Macau no longer uses Husi products.
The Husi meat scandal continues to haunt the company. The mainland authorities have detained five employees of Husi Food Co. Ltd, who are accused of selling expired beef and chicken to fast food chains such as McDonald’s and KFC.
The deputy director of China’s food safety agency, Gu Zhenghua, told Xinhua News Agency that the alleged “illegal conduct” was an “arrangement organized by the company.”
It is reported that among those detained is Husi’s quality manager, Zhang Hui, who told the authorities that the meat “had been produced under tacit approval of the company’s senior managers.” He also claimed that this kind of malpractice has taken place for years.
The food safety incident first surfaced several days ago when Dragon TV, a Shanghai broadcaster, revealed that Husi had repackaged old beef and chicken and put new expiry dates on these products.
Restaurant operators that have withdrawn products made with meat from Husi include McDonald’s Corp.; KFC owner Yum Brands Inc.; pizza chain Papa John’s International Inc.; Starbucks Corp.; Burger King Corp.; and Dicos, a Taiwanese-owned sandwich shop chain.