KFC China sues over eight legged chicken rumours
KFC is suing three Chinese companies for spreading rumours about the fast food outlet.
The chain posted on its Chinese website that multiple rumours were being spread and the most common being that KFC chickens have eight legs and six wings.
The rumours have been shared through social media. It has apparently become common in China for companies to spread rumours about their competitors through online social networking. The Chinese government has previously indicated it was trying to stamp out the practice of hostile online gossip.
KFC is suing each of the companies for up to 1.5 million yuan (approximately US$245, 000).
KFC is owned by Yum! Brands, which also owns other fast food outlets including Pizza Hut and Taco Bell. It is reported that the China market now makes up about half of Yum! Brands yearly gross revenues.
Yum! Brands are still finding it difficult to make profits in China, with information in April 2015 showing that profits from China were down 9 per cent from the same time last year.
The company had experienced problems in China last year when one supplier was alleged to have been selling unsatisfactory meat.
There are more than 4 800 KFC outlets in China. It was the first western fast food company to open in the country, starting its first store in Beijing in 1987.
