The 2014 Expired Meat Controversy That Rocked The Fast Food World

Few things are as unpleasant as finding out something in your fridge has gone bad, especially if it's meat of any kind. At some point, maybe you've wondered about eating frozen meat that has expired or whether it's safe to eat ground beef that has turned gray. It doesn't help that while it's particularly popular in the United States, ground meat spoils faster than standad cuts, further complicating things in the culinary world.

Dealing with expired meat at home is one thing, but navigating expired meat on a global scale is far more concerning. As much as consumers put their trust in major chains and corporations to catch expired products before they get even remotely close to customers, an incident in 2014 saw expired meat make its way to major chains like McDonald's and KFC. The scandal resulted when a supplier reportedly doctored some labels so it could sell old meat. This was allegedly done to cut costs and prevent a loss in profits. Some of the meat involved was believed to be more than a year old. 

To make matters worse, the supplier just switched out the expiration dates on the labels in order to pass off its product as newly packaged meat. Since it is the job of the supplier to ensure the status of its fresh, quality product, this expired meat was destined to find its way onto customers' plates, had it not been subsequently tested and discovered before anyone had gotten sick. 

The scandal broke in the summer of 2014 when a TV report revealed that OSI Group had been packing expired meat, claiming to keep fake logs for inspections, and even retrieving meat from the floor to return to the production line. At the time, the company issued an apology, as did McDonald's. KFC issued no apology of its own, although it was represented by its parent company Yum, which did apologize regarding the food safety concerns. Other chains like Starbucks, Papa John's, and Burger King were also affected.

Specifically, it was a Chinese news channel that first brought the issue to light with videos of employees relabeling and repackaging expired meat. This footage was associated specifically with two China-based locations of OSI Group, which has its headquarters in the United States. As a result of a two-year investigation, Shanghai Husi Food and OSI Group were fined over $3.6 million. Additional fines were later slapped on both companies and 10 employees also received prison sentences. KFC and Pizza Hut ended their relationship with OSI Group as a result, but McDonald's has since stayed with the supplier, which it's had a relationship with since the 1950s.