Chinese news videos of workers grinding expired meat into fresh and putting hamburger patties that had fallen on the floor back into production at Shanghai Husi Food Co created a scandal last week, as they should. That is just the press doing its job – like in the UK, where a poultry scandal was covered last week. But, in the ensuing media outcry, much of the opprobrium fell on Husi’s customers – fast-food chains such as McDonald’s and KFC. This does Chinese consumers more harm than good. Upscale hotels aside, western chains are among the most hygienic places to eat in Asia. Implying that they are unsafe risks sending people to less salubrious joints.
過期肉通過絞肉機，出來就成了鮮肉，掉在地上的漢堡肉餅被工人重新放回生產線上。上周，發生在上海福喜食品有限公司(Shanghai Husi Food)的這一幕在中國電視上曝光，理所應當地成為丑聞。這只是媒體在履行職責，就像在英國，上周媒體報道了一起禽肉丑聞。然而，在隨后的媒體聲討中，相當大一部分的譴責卻落到了福喜的客戶身上——麥當勞(McDonald's)和肯德基(KFC)等快餐連鎖店。這對中國消費者來說壞處超過好處。在亞洲，除了高級賓館外，西方的餐飲連鎖店是食品衛生最有保障的地方。如果我們暗示就連這些餐飲店也不安全，就可能鼓勵人們到更不衛生的飲食網點用餐。