Food and safety officials conducted a raid at the Kozhikode outlet of the Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) here on Monday.
The raid came in the aftermath of a worm being found in a chicken piece at a KFC unit in Thiruvananthapuram. Officials took away samples from the restaurant. Restaurant general manger Najeeb said that the way they prepared the chicken made it impossible for a live worm to be found in a piece. “We heat the chicken to a temperature of 260 degree Celsius and it is impossible for a worm to survive at such high temperatures. The incident in Thiruvananthapuram was probably a deliberate attempt by people with vested interests to defame our establishment,” he said.
Food Safety Officer, Mobile Vigilance Squad Kozhikode, C T Anil Kumar said that there was no need of scare as the food product had a shelf life of nine months. “We have taken a chicken sample dated 01/09/12 and further information about the tests will be revealed within two weeks,” He said.
Meanwhile, KFC customers gave out mixed responses to the incident that happened in the capital. Pradeeksh Vishnudas, a native of West Hill said that the incident came as a shocker. “I will be going to KFC again only if the test results prove that the chicken is safe,” he said.
However not all were pessimistic in their views.
“This news is really disturbing but I do not think that an international brand like KFC will not be careless so as to leave a live worm behind in their chicken,” said Nakul Sudhakar of Palayam.