Bird’s-eye view of KFC only told half story

THE KFC employees who were caught on camera washing chicken pieces on a dirty floor have not been suspended, but would undergo a hearing.

The fast-food outlet’s chief executive, Jason Kerr, said yesterday during a visit to the affected branch in Braamfontein, Johannesburg, that the employees were not to blame for the incident.

He said an internal process had revealed that employees had violated a minor company regulation, but had not harmed any consumers in the process.

This was because the chicken was not intended for consumption. It formed part of the raw wastage and was to be thrown away. But he said employees at the outlet on the corner of Biccard and De Korte streets had taken the affected chicken pieces that were not for consumption to the back of the store to remove the breading.

Breading refers to the process of coating it with flour and a blend of herbs and spices. Kerr said the employees did this because they feared that management would discover they had breaded the chicken after it was identified as being “imperfect”.

A video of the employees, taken from a high-rise flat close to the restaurant, went viral on Friday. It showed them hosing down the chicken pieces on the floor of the premises behind the store. Since then, people have taken to social media to express their outrage, claiming the store sells dirty chicken.

But KFC’s management at the store insisted that the food outlet had stringent procedures and that any chicken pieces that were damaged, such as broken wings or bruised thighs, were discarded.

This wastage was kept separate from the franchises’ cooked wastage.

But Kerr said the employees also violated another minor regulation by mixing the two different types of wastage together. This affected the company’s agreement with chicken suppliers, as they could not return the uncooked damaged chicken pieces.

Despite this, a tour of the store showed all wastage was stored separately in sealed bins and that it was kept in different fridges from the ingredients and the uncooked, frozen chicken. All items in the store also appeared to be labelled, with the expiry date visible.

KFC management has apologised to its consumers for the incident.

“The washing of chicken on the floor, even chicken that would be thrown away, is inappropriate, unacceptable and inexcusable,” the company said.

“Our promise remains to continue serving meals based on high-quality standards and the freshest ingredients.”

The store has been reopened since its closure on Friday.