KFC 70’s raw chicken is provided by Taiwan’s Dacheng

A few days ago, while investigating the raw material supply situation of McDonald’s and KFC, reporters learned about a food company that has never been known to the outside world— —Taiwan Dacheng Food. It is understood that the company currently accounts for 70% of KFC’s raw chicken stock. So, what kind of company is this? How do they keep chicken safe? With these questions, the reporter had a conversation with Zhu Shiping, general manager of Taiwan Dacheng's mainland area. (The reporter will be referred to as Ji below, and Manager Zhu will be referred to as Zhu)

Reporter: How does Dacheng Company ensure the safety of raw materials?

Zhu: Our company adopts a one-stop management method, cooperating with contracted farmers, providing the farmers with all the raw materials, and the farmers raise the chickens. Even the feed is developed by our R&D team to ensure it does not contain hormones before it is supplied to farmers. Most of our chickens are raised in the Northeast, ensuring a clean breeding site. Moreover, we will check everything from the hatching of eggs to the supply of chicks and feed to slaughtering. Before slaughtering the chickens, we will go to the contract farmers to take out the chickens for inspection to ensure that there are no hormones in the chickens. In order to protect the interests of farmers, we purchase chickens raised by farmers at purchase prices. We will send the mature chickens to the slaughterhouse, and then eliminate the unqualified chickens after veterinary inspection. The entire slaughtering process has 66 procedures for inspection and monitoring, including hygiene inspection, so the slaughtering place must be disinfected every 40 minutes. During the slaughtering process, temperature control is very important as it is a key factor in ensuring meat quality. Like chickens usually found in farmers' markets, bacteria will quickly develop after being slaughtered and placed on them. There is a strict control on how much water should be used to rinse the meat, how many degrees the temperature should be controlled in a certain process, and how many degrees the temperature of the entire factory should be controlled. We will transport the slaughtered chickens to the manufacturer through low-temperature freezing and low-temperature transportation according to the customer's requirements.

Reporter: Will KFC re-inspect the products you provide? As far as you know, what requirements does KFC have for their suppliers?

Zhu: KFC has very strict requirements on suppliers, and it will definitely check the quality of the semi-finished products we provide. They are very aware of our entire production process. As KFC becomes more and more strict on the quality and safety of raw materials, in addition to having a team to monitor product quality in our factory, we also have a team to serve them in KFC. In 2003, we won the Best Supplier Award in the World. Currently, we provide the raw chicken for KFC 70.

Reporter: Can you analyze the current situation of raw material suppliers of the same type as yours?

Zhu: In mainland China, suppliers are indeed very important. Nowadays, people's living standards are getting higher and higher. There is a huge cost difference between a healthy product and a product whose quality is not well monitored. Generally, if private slaughter or product sources are not very standardized, the cost will be very low. But sometimes consumers only look at the price. For some suppliers who are obviously very standardized and have good quality, because the cost is slightly higher, no one will notice the quality. In the past, raw material suppliers have always been hidden behind the scenes and unknown to consumers. I think it is necessary for them to surface and be displayed in front of consumers. And the government should also regulate this. Because the average consumer has no idea who is behind the food they come into contact with every day. If the supplier is certified by the government, then consumers can eat with confidence. But it is understood that meat products produced in factories under government supervision now account for about 2% of all food. 98% of them come from different places, and the government may not be able to supervise them. As it stands now, the ranks of suppliers are a mixed bag. Some large factories are relatively strict in controlling the quality of raw materials. Factories such as Zhengda and Liuhe Group are doing well. But some factories are not like this. This is related to the fact that each supplier has its own corporate goals. Our belief is to always provide consumers with healthy food.

I think the government, industry, and enterprises should all take action to regulate this and do something for the people.

McDonald’s:

Comprehensive supply chain management ensures the safety of raw materials

According to McDonald’s reply: In order to provide safe, high-quality and delicious food, they have always adopted comprehensive The supply chain management method ensures the highest protection of the overall food process. In addition to its business philosophy, McDonald's also requires suppliers to produce high-quality products. It also requires suppliers to be product experts and to be industry-leading in terms of products, raw materials, production processes, food safety systems, and even management standards. Therefore, McDonald's said it has more than 50 domestic suppliers. When choosing a supplier, the first thing to consider is the cooperative awareness of the other company. If the upstream supplier's production conditions do not meet McDonald's standards and it is unwilling to transform the production environment and equipment, then it cannot become a McDonald's supplier. Secondly, they will measure and select suppliers based on two major criteria: hardware and software conditions.

McDonald’s inspection agency

McDonald’s maintains a close working relationship with its suppliers and places strict requirements on suppliers in terms of quality control. It has 3 independent quality centers in the United States, Germany and Hong Kong. These three quality centers are directly managed by McDonald's Corporation and are responsible for the development and improvement of McDonald's QA system within the region. At the same time, we conduct sensory appraisal of supplier products within the region. In addition, they will also ask third-party agencies for further testing to ensure that the results are foolproof. However, they also admit that inspections and spot checks cannot 100% prevent the occurrence of food safety incidents. Only by establishing a complete QA system, checking and ensuring at all levels can problems be prevented.

McDonald’s raw material sources

McDonald’s procurement volume exceeds 1.5 billion yuan every year. There are more than 50 domestic suppliers, and more than 97% of food materials are purchased locally. McDonald’s system supplies The network is distributed all over the country, and special factories have been invested and established in Beijing, Shanghai, Tianjin, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Qingdao, Dalian, Kunming, Fuzhou, Wuhan, Sichuan Province, Liaoning Province, Hebei Province, Guangdong Province and other places. McDonald's has also developed raw material bases, such as vegetable cultivation in Kunming, potato cultivation in Hebei, and meat processing and slaughtering in Shandong and Liaoning.

How to make consumers understand their consumption clearly and let the public understand the situation of suppliers behind the company

McDonald’s food safety education for consumers has opened the restaurant kitchen to the public. This innovative move enhances the transparency of food safety. McDonald's opened suppliers on March 9, 2006. As the latest measure to transparently communicate with consumers, McDonald's (China) Co., Ltd. conducted a new round of "McDonald's Open Day" activities in Beijing. The activities were carried out in line with McDonald's company's commitment to transparent information communication and aimed to allow the public to Learn more about the comprehensive food supply network system that McDonald's quality food relies on.

KFC:

Building a food safety system to ensure food safety

Yum! has been working hard to create a food safety system that is in line with China’s national conditions through a series of efforts: 2005 In June 2005, Yum! Global Chief Technology Officer Pei Huaqing was transferred to China as Chief Supply Officer; in early July 2005, the first food safety officer Mr. Ju Naihu officially took office; on July 25 of the same year, the "China Yum Restaurant Group Special Food Safety Laboratory "Officially listed in Shanghai; at the same time, the supplier management system is also being modified and strengthened; in February 2006, Yum Brands successfully held its first food safety expert advisory committee meeting in Beijing, further implementing Yum Group's recommendations on China's food safety situation Commitment made to strengthen food safety management. In addition, China Yum has also established and managed its own logistics network, with 16 logistics centers across the country, which is an important link in ensuring food safety.

Obviously, KFC, which was affected by the Sudanese Red Incident in 2005, was not particularly clear in its responses to reporters’ interviews. However, it is worth thinking about how important it is for a famous brand company to improve its own business system and strictly control food safety management if it wants to establish a good corporate image with good reputation.

So are the strict control of products claimed by the two major companies consistent with the implementation direction of product supply sources?