KFC is coming under increasing pressure in the Czech Republic. The Food Inspection has, for the first time, officially confirmed that expired meat was used in a branch in Liberec.
A check at a KFC restaurant in Liberec by the State Agricultural and Food Inspection Authority (SZPI) revealed that marinated meat past its use-by date had been used in the preparation of meals. The company AmRest, which operates the chain in the Czech Republic, thereby breached food safety law. According to the news channel ČT24, the SZPI will now initiate an administrative procedure to impose a fine. This is the first outcome of a series of inspections, most of which are not yet complete, said spokesperson Pavel Kopřiva to Czech media. KFC has stated that it was an isolated incident.
The Market Director for KFC in the Czech Republic and Austria, Ivana Makalová Dlouhá, stressed to the news portal iDNES.cz that the company takes health and safety very seriously. “We have strict food safety protocols in place. Our restaurants regularly undergo multiple levels of quality and safety checks, including hundreds of external audits by independent parties, internal food safety inspections, and reviews by national and local authorities,” Makalová Dlouhá added.
As previously reported, there had already been allegations against the fast-food chain by Czech journalist Jan Tuna, who reported on manipulated expiry dates, spoiled meat, and hygiene shortcomings and makes serious accusations against KFC in Czechia. Tuna’s report focused on the branch in Jablonec nad Nisou.
The case is also gaining traction on social media. While users initially mocked KFC’s copy-paste responses to most questions, reports of expired meat at the Liberec branch have led to increasing negative posts on KFC CZ’s Facebook profile.
KFC has been operated in the Czech Republic by AmRest for 27 years; their portfolio in the country also includes brands such as Burger King, Pizza Hut, and Starbucks. Kentucky Fried Chicken is one of the leading fast-food restaurants in the Czech Republic, operating around 130 outlets nationwide.
