Where’s the beef? Apparently not in Japan’s McDonald’s restaurants.
The fast food giant’s 3,000 restaurants have ceased using poultry and beef products from Shanghai-based Shanghai Husi Foods after it was was shut down for unsanitary practices.
According to reports, McDonald’s stopped shipments from the company due to allegations that the company was shipping expired chicken.
In apparent response to the crisis, McDonald’s Japan has rolled out “Tofu Shinjo” nuggets early, which are modelled after traditional side dish known commonly as ‘Kamaboko’.
The pieces of deep-fried tofu are available for ¥249 ($2.44) for four pieces.
According to a company representative the tofu offering had been in the process even before the current food safety scandal.
“It is a part of wider, limited-time-only offering for the summer featuring a Japanese-style menu,” she said.
The fast food chain’s Japanese unit said Tuesday it will fall short of sales and profits targets for the year, but the company is already taking steps to give Japanese fast food goers options.
But it’s not only McDonald’s that’s suffering from the tainted meat.
Shanghai Husi Foods has already caused “significant, negative” damage to sales at KFC and Pizza Hut restaurants over the past ten days according to a Yum Brand spokesperson, which owns the restaurants.
“If the significant sales impact is sustained, it will have a material effect on full-year earnings per share,” Yum warned.
Image courtesy McDonalds Japan.
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