Boss of U.S. firm that owns Shanghai Husi Food apologises

The chairman of an American meat supplier apologised yesterday for a Chinese subsidiary that is accused of selling expired beef and chicken to restaurants including McDonald’s and KFC.

Fast food chains in China suspended use of products from Shanghai Husi Food after a television station reported last weekend it repackaged and sold meat past its expiry date. The authorities launched an investigation and five Husi Food employees were detained.

“What happened at Husi Food is completely unacceptable. I will not try to and defend it or explain it,’’ said Mr Sheldon Lavin, chairman and chief executive of Aurora, Illinois-based OSI Group, which owns Husi Food.

“I sincerely apologise to all of our customers in China,” Mr Lavin said in a statement. “We will bear the responsibility of these missteps and will make sure they never happen again.’’

He added that the company was sending global experts to work with staff in China.

Dragon TV in Shanghai reported that Husi Food repackaged old beef and chicken and put new expiration dates on them. It said they were sold to KFC and Pizza Hut restaurants, which are owned by Yum! Brands, and McDonald’s.

Mr Zhang Hui, the manager of Husi Food’s quality department, told investigators “such meat had been produced under tacit approval of the company’s senior managers”, Xinhua reported, adding that the company “has been conducting the malpractice for years”.

Yum! Brands, based in Kentucky, said it was immediately ending “all procurements from OSI China” and it reserves the right to “take any and all legal action against OSI Group” based on the results of the investigation. AP