Zee Media Bureau
New Delhi: In what can be called as a major clampdown, the Konkan Region Food Drugs and Administration (FDA) ceased the operations of a KFC unit located in Nerul in Navi Mumbai.
The unit was shut down owing to the alleged presence of bacteria in water that was being used there.
Earlier, the company was already slapped with a warning notice to improve upon the water but when the water was tested again, the level of impurity was the same.
"The officials of the FDA checked the water being used in the RO Unit of the company at Nerul on March 13 and found that the water was not upto the specified standards," FDA Assistant Commissioner Kishore Gore said.
The tests revealed that the level of E.Coli and Coliform Bacteria found in 100ml of water to be 34 as against 0, he said.
"As the level had not improved the FDA had no option but to shut the unit today," he added. The unit at Nerul will remain shut till the company complies with the requirements and submits proof of the same he said. "Consequent to the action on this Nerul unit of the company the other units will also be under inspection by the FDA," Gore said.
Meanwhile, KFC spokesperson has issued the following statement in response to the FDA's decision: "As a responsible brand, the health and safety of our customers as well as our employees, is our number one priority. We want to assure our customers that we have regular checks and stringent systems to ensure that we uphold the highest standards across all our restaurants. We are confident that at no point was there any food safety concern at the said restaurant. We have shut down the store as of now and are working with the authorities to resolve this matter."
KFC is a fast food restaurant chain that is headquartered in Louisville, Kentucky, in the United States, and is the second largest in sales terms after McDonald's, with 18,875 outlets in 118 countries and territories as of December 2013. The company is a subsidiary of Yum! Brands, a restaurant company that also owns the Pizza Hut and Taco Bell in the country.
(With PTI inputs)
