Sheldon Lavin, chairman, CEO and owner of OSI Group, apologized to customers of the group’s subsidiary, Husi Food Co., which has been accused of selling expired poultry and beef to restaurant chains in China. The company allegedly removed the packaging from outdated meat and repackaged it with false expiration dates before selling it to restaurants that include KFC, Pizza Hut, McDonald’s and Dicos.
All four chains have stopped purchasing from Husi, while other chains that had purchased from the company – including Burger King, Starbucks and Papa John’s – have severed ties with Husi.
Husi employees did something ‘completely unacceptable’
In a statement, Lavin commented: “What happened at Husi Shanghai is completely unacceptable. I will not try and defend it or explain it. It was terribly wrong, and I am appalled that it ever happened in the company that I own.
“On behalf of Husi and OSI, I sincerely apologize to all of our customers in China. We will bear the responsibility of these missteps, and will make sure that they never happen again. That is my personal commitment and that of our organization.”
OSI Group investigating incident
“Upon hearing of the Shanghai issue, I immediately sent our best team of global experts from the OSI Group, and more are on their way, to work with the local team to ensure my promise to you today is met,” Lavin said.
“We are very proud of our newest state-of-the-art facility in Henan. It reflects our confidence and commitment in China. We are also pleased that local Chinese authorities have inspected all our other facilities and have found no issues.”
