MCDONALD’S ASSISTS IN PROBE
South Korean unit halts sales of bulgogi burger after customers fall ill
MCDONALD’S Corp’s South Korean unit is cooperating with government authorities investigating a possible food-contamination case that prompted the company to suspend sales of its bulgogi burger.
South Korea’s Ministry of Food and Drug Safety has started a probe into the cause behind some customers taking ill after consuming food at a McDonald’s restaurant in Jeonju, here, said Shin Yeong-min, a spokesman for food issues.
Typical investigations take at least a week, he added. McDonald’s said it has halted sales of the bulgogi burger as a precaution till the cause of the illness is determined.
“We take these matters very seriously,” McDonald’s Korea said in a statement yesterday. “And are cooperating with the government authorities’ investigation to identify the cause of the illness of those who visited the restaurant in Jeonju.”
Seven elementary school students and their teacher claimed they suffered symptoms of enteritis after eating bulgogi burgers at the restaurant last week, according to Yonhap News. Sales of the burger were suspended starting Saturday, it said.
A representative for McDonald’s Korea said the incident is unrelated to a complaint in July from a Korean family who claimed their daughter became ill after eating an undercooked hamburger patty, according to media reports.