The United States' second largest fast food restaurant chain, KFC, is now under investigation by Mongolian officials for allegedly poisoning hundreds of its patrons. Kentucky Fried Chicken is quite famous in Mongolia, which is likely also true in most other countries, given its signature fried chicken recipe. However, reports have revealed that instead of going home full and satisfied from eating at the restaurant, hundreds of customers were stricken with heavy food poisoning.
According to local media reports, around 116 customers who visited the popular fast-food chain got sick and 27 of them had to be rushed to the hospital. The victims reportedly were suffering from different symptoms, including fever, vomiting, hepatitis, and diarrhea. All of the symptoms were indicative of possible food poisoning, possibly coming from contaminated water and soda.
Shortly after the reports of heavy food poisoning reached Mongolian officials, an investigation was launched, which was led by the epidemiologist and laboratory of the National Center for Communicable Diseases and the Metropolitan Professional Inspection Agency. Health officials began inspecting the alleged source of the food poisoning, which was believed to be a store located in Ulaanbaatar.
Health officials reportedly took dozens of samples from the premises, including raw food products, air samples, water samples, and beverage samples for microbiological analysis. The tests then found that several pathogen microbes were present in the samples, including bacteria in the drinking water and in the soda that was being served to customers. The head of the Specialized Inspection Agency also revealed that two of the store's employees had been infected with dysentery. The restaurant also reportedly had serious violations in health standards and it also failed to have any acceptable internal hygiene protocols.
Following the test results, Mongolian officials then called for the immediate shutdown of the fast food chain's operations until further notice. Yum! Brands Inc., which operates the franchise under the Tavan Bogd Group, responded to the incident and mentioned that they were cooperating with the government throughout the investigation. The company also mentioned that the health and safety of their customers was their priority and they are regretful of what happened.
According to the company's spokesman Zolbayar Batsukh, the particular store in Ulaanbaatar is now closed for further monitoring. However, the company's other locations will apparently still be in operation. It is not yet clear if the company's other stores will be forced to shut down following the health officials' recent findings. Tavan Bogd Group currently has more than 10 stores in operation within the capital city.
