Fast food giant KFC has rejected a report which claims that food samples tested from some of its outlets in Hyderabad were found to be unsafe for consumption.
Child rights activist Achyuta Rao, who runs a non-governmental organisation Andhra Pradesh Balala Hakkula Sangham, said the NGO took food samples from five KFC outlets in the city and got it tested at the food safety laboratory run by the Telangana government. The report, he said, showed the presence of E.coli and salmonella bacteria and was unsafe for consumption.
The fast food chain dismissed the allegations as “false”, while questioning the veracity of the report.
“This alleged report is a case of false allegation. We have no knowledge of the sample being collected from any of our stores and in what condition it has been transported for this alleged test. This is a perishable food item meant for immediate consumption. We have not received any intimation from any authority in this regard. In any case, there is no possibility of any microbial development in our food which is freshly cooked at 170 degrees celsius. We would urge you to verify all the facts before reporting this matter. Given this is an attempt to wrongly malign our brand reputation, we would strongly pursue this case and seek a clarification from the concerned authorities,” a statement from KFC said.
Mr Rao, however, claims that proper procedure was followed to ensure there were no lapses. “We took multiple samples, and within half an hour, after taking receipt from the outlet, handed over to the state food laboratory for testing and analysis,” he said.
“We definitely follow all the international standards and norms and also the state food standards,” said Sudheer Reddy, manager of one of the KFC outlets.
The report follows a storm over Maggi noodles which was banned earlier this month by the country’s food safety regulator (FSSAI), which declared that the popular snack was “unsafe and hazardous” after tests by various state food regulators on samples found monosodium glutamate (MSG) and excess lead.