China Arrests Five Involved in Meat Scandal

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Food safety is again on the minds of people in China, especially those who eat at two popular American fast food chains.  

Chinese police have arrested five employees of a Shanghai-based food supplier.  This food supplier is accused of selling old, or expired, meat to several fast food chains in China.  These fast food chains include two of the biggest -- McDonald's and Kentucky Fried Chicken.

Shanghai police say those arrested include the head of the Husi Food Company and its quality manager.  Husi Food Company is a unit of the U.S.-based food supplier OSI Group.

China's Dragon TV reported that workers at the company mixed expired meat with fresh product.  And the workers even used meat that had fallen onto the floor.

The official Xinhua news agency quoted officials as saying some of the problems at the company were not limited to certain individuals.  The problems, officials say, were "an arrangement organized by the company."

Restaurants including McDonald's, KFC, Burger King and Starbucks have pulled products using Husi's meat.  Some of the meat was also sold in Japan.

There have been no reports of widespread sickness.  But this report has still angered many Chinese, who are particularly sensitive toward food safety issues.

There have been many food safety scandals in recent years.  And some of these scandals have killed many people, including infants.

In 2008 poisoned liquid baby food, or formula, sickened more than 300,000 babies in China and killed six.

I’m Anna Matteo.