McDonald's switches to sister firm of scandal-hit Husi

Amid the ongoing meat scandal, fast food chain McDonald's China Thursday announced its new chicken supplier -- a sister company of the Shanghai outfit at the center of the furor.

The company said in a statement that it will now source its raw poultry products from Henan Husi Food, a new processing plant that is wholly owned by United States-based OSI Group.

OSI is also the parent of Shanghai Husi Food, which has been accused of supplying out-of-date and substandard meat to at least 11 Chinese and foreign fast food companies.

Despite claims that it is "reviewing and assessing its quality management system" for its suppliers in China, McDonald's choice of a company so closely related to the Shanghai plant sparked outrage among the public.

"Why is it so difficult to carry out a thorough inspection of OSI Group's facilities all over China? It's very likely that Husi's Henan factory follows similar production protocols as the Shanghai one, meaning their products might also be substandard," said a microblog user named "Little Hazelnut."

"It's time we vote with our feet and quit eating fast food," a consumer named Echo Shao wrote on the official microblog of McDonald's China.

Thousands of other people left messages on the hamburger chain's blog, many of them calling for a more detailed explanation of how it plans to ensure the safety of the food it sells to Chinese consumers.

Meanwhile, OSI Group owner, chairman and chief executive Sheldon Lavin said in a statement that the company "will make sure that (what happened at the Shanghai factory) never happens again."

He did not, however, explain how it was allowed to happen in the first place.

"What happened in Shanghai Husi is completely unacceptable and was terribly wrong," the company said in a statement on its website yesterday.

Despite the efforts at damage limitation, microblog user "Silly King" said OSI and McDonald's were not the only ones to blame for the food safety scandal.

"Boycotting foreign fast food chains will not help resolve food safety issues in China," the person wrote.

Shanghai's Food and Drug Administration said on Tuesday that after its investigation at Shanghai Husi Food, it found that more than 5,000 boxes of expired meat had been sold to major fast-food chains.

Yum Brands Inc, owner of KFC and Pizza Hut, said on Tuesday it has cut links with Husi and will reevaluate its supervision system for suppliers.

On Wednesday, Shanghai police said five employees of Husi Food, including its top executive and quality manager, had been detained.