An investigation that started on March 15th, precisely on the occasion of the International Consumer Rights Day and that for once saw China playing the role of accuser.
The two large multinational chains have paid the price Carrefour and Mc Donald's, picked up by the influential local TV CCTV respectively to falsify the packaging date of packages of chicken in one of his shops in Zhengzhou, in central China, and to offer customers hamburgers left too long on the shelves of a Beijing fast-food restaurant.
The case, brought to the fore by Asian journalists in the "Hyenas" version, has caused quite a stir and has forced the two companies to make a public apology, as well as closing on Friday and obviously the immediate withdrawal of the disputed products.
These are just the latest two cases affecting the Chinese agri-food trade, previously marked by episodes such as milk with melanin, pork doped with antibiotics or recycled oil: all cases that brought serious consequences on the health level.
This is why the Beijing authorities are increasingly inclined to punish this kind of problem, especially when it comes to two giants such as Carrefour and Mc Donald's, so that by punishing the big ones a clear message can also be sent to the small ones. Especially because in recent years, China has seen domestic consumption and quality of life grow more and more of its billion plus citizens, which has contributed not only to increasing imports but also to paying ever greater attention to the problem of safety and health.
Right mission, provided, however, that you do not go further, with the risk of alienating foreign investors and companies, who feel increasingly targeted by the authorities. "We have to be blameless, that's the rule," a Carrefour executive told CCTV. Here food inspections often take more time than the management of the shops themselves”.
On the other hand, the same Chinese internet users think that the modus operandi of the government and the media is proving to be excessively zealous, who, commenting on the national television report, expressed more than a few perplexities: “I trust Mc Donald's more than CCTV”, is one of the recurring comments on the various forums. When they say, knowing your chickens…
Read the news on Le Figaro
