April 27, 2024

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[THE INVESTOR] KFC, the largest chicken franchise in Korea, announced on March 23 that it will use only domestic poultry for its chicken menu.

The chain currently uses a mix of domestic and Brazilian chicken to make patties for its burgers.

The decision is in direct response to consumer concerns surrounding Brazilian chicken as the nation’s fast food franchises are being hit hard by the “rotten chicken” scandal. 

On March 20, the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety halted the distribution of imported Brazilian chicken, following media reports that food processing firms there had bribed government officials to overlook inspections and allow them to export rotten meat. But the ministry lifted the ban the next day, saying none of the imported chicken consignment from Brazil was processed by BRF, the Brazilian poultry processor in question.

“Even though we didn’t use the product in question, we have made the decision to relieve consumer concerns,” said a KFC official.

Along with KFC, other chicken franchises such as Mom’s Touch have discontinued the sale of certain dishes on the menu as BRF’s chicken was being used as a primary ingredient. In addition, food companies such as CJ CheilJedang have begun to replace their products that initially used Brazilian chicken with local poultry fear a costumer backlash.

According to the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, Korea imported a total of 107,399 tons of chicken in 2016, of which Brazil accounted for 82 percent (88,995 tons). The volume of chicken imported from Brazil’s BRF was 42,500 tons.

By Alex Lee (alexlee@heraldcorp.com)