The front page of today’s Beijing News dedicates the headline and photo to KFC (Kentucky Fried Chicken). The company has openly admitted that the presence of Sudan I – a red, chemical dye which is thought to contribute to cancer – has been discovered in two products sold on the Chinese market: the ‘New Orleans Roast Chicken Wings’ and the ‘New Orleans Roast Chicken Legs’. As of yesterday, these two Southern chickens will not be seen around the Capital for some time. Together with articles commenting on the news, the newspaper published the official letter issued by the Pepsi China Corporation – proprietor of the KFC brand – in which they apologize to Chinese consumers for the Sudan I problem. However, in the letter, Pepsi basically puts all the blame on their suppliers:
“Despite having many times required our suppliers to guarantee that their products shouldn’t contain Sudan I – and obtained their written confirmation – we are extremely sorry to admit that this ingredient has been discovered in the ‘New Orleans’ roast Chicken and Legs”.
Well, maybe next time, aside from a written confirmation (hello, we’re in China after all), Colonel Sanders should himself run tests on ingredients they feed to consumers.
In early March, another food product was found to contain Sudan I, a pepper sauce called Meiweiyuan produced by the Guangzhou based Heinz Meiweiyuan Food, a subsidiary of the US famous brand.
LINKS:
Article on Beijing News (in Chinese)
Article on Heinz Meiweiyuan Food
Picture taken from Beijing News website
UPDATE: It seems that the evidence that Sudan I is carcinogenic is rather flimsy, as reported in The Economist, quoted on Hong Kong blog Simon world.