Serve the People! KFC Will Spin Off Eateries in China.

Yum! Brands, parent company of KFC, Pizza Hut, and Taco Bell,  is spinning off Yum Brands in China as a separate publicly traded firm. Sales in China’s 4,600 KFCs have been tanking for the last 3 years in the wake of Avian Flu and food safety scares. Adding new menu items, a new mobile app, updated employee uniforms, and celebrity promotions by film biggies Chen Kun and Kē Zhèndōng haven’t helped much.

More:

“The company behind KFC, Pizza Hut, and Taco Bell just isolated the most dangerous part of its business,” Ashley Lutz, Business Insider

Update:

“China is no longer a complete nightmare for KFC,” Alison Griswold, Quartz

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China: Musty Meat at McDonald’s?

McDonald’s in China has stopped using meat from a local supplier after Shanghai authorities halted the firm’s operations over food safety concerns. The meat processor is suspected of supplying meat well past its due date and mislabeling it. KFC and Pizza Hut in China have also stopped using products from the supplier, Shanghai Husi, which is owned by OSI Group of Aurora, Illinois.

More:

“Yum, McDonald’s in Shanghai food safety investigation,” Engen Tham and Adam Jourdan, Reuters

“KFC, Pizza Hut, and McDonald’s are hit with a new China food scandal: expired meat products,” Lily Kuo, Quartz

“China’s latest fast food scandal: McDonald’s, KFC and Pizza Hut sold expired meat,” Lindsay Abrams, Salon

“China food scandal spreads to Japan as Burger King, Starbucks admit using tainted supplier,” Reuters via South China Post

Updates:

“Five held in China food scandal probe, including head of Shanghai Husi Food,” Brenda Goh and Paul Carsten, Reuters via 7 News/AUNews Yahoo

“Using expired meat in China was allegedly company policy for a US-owned supplier,” Lily Kuo, Quartz

“McDonald’s Japan Stops Sourcing All Chicken From China,” Chang-Ran Kim and Chris Gallagher, Reuters via New York Times

“McDonald’s China plans to continue using scandal-hit meat supplier OSI Group,” Nectar Gan, South China Morning Post

Further Updates:

“McDonald’s Food Supplier OSI Recalls Shanghai Products,” Liza Lin, Bloomberg News

“Some Chinese McDonalds are only selling fries and drinks due to a meat recall,” Lily Kuo, Quartz

“Fast-Food Scandal Revives China’s Food Safety Anxieties,” Anthony Kuhn, NPR

“McDonald’s Pulls Meat From China Restaurants,” Liza Lin, Bloomberg News

“Yum says China food safety scare hurting KFC, Pizza Hut sales,” Sruthi Ramakrishnan, Reuters

“Carving Out New Standards After China’s Fast Food Meat Scandal,” Zhang Yun, Economic Observer via Worldcrunch

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Image by Mike Licht. Download a copy here. Creative Commons license; credit Mike Licht, NotionsCapital.com

Comments are welcome if they are on-topic, substantive, concise, and not boring or obscene. Comments may be edited for clarity and length.

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Serve the People! KFC in China.

KFC’s China division is adding 15 new items to menus at the country’s 4,600 restaurants. Let a thousand chickens bloom! The new grub will be promoted by Chinese celebrities Chen Kun and Kē Zhèndōng. What’s the “K” in “KFC” stand for again, Kaiping?

KFC China is also rolling out a new mobile app and updated employee uniforms. Skeptics say it’s all meant to distract attention from last year’s Avian Flu and food safety scares.