Nadia Gonzaga's Blog

Chang Lao’s blog post on the poor business ethics of KFC highlighted the violation of basic moral values. According to reports, KFC’s chickens have been fattened with illegal drugs and their ice cubes had 13 times more bacteria than their toilet water. This harms the business’ reputation, and I completely agree with Aiken that the KFC “will lose the trust of their consumers…[and face] a decline for their company.”

I decided to do more research on other fast food chains, more specifically McDonald’s, to see if they practiced similar ethics as China’s KFC. According to Forbes, a recent scandal reported that Shanghai Husi Food Co, a supplier to McDonald’s and KFC in Shanghai, “reused meat that had fallen to the factory floor, as well as mixing fresh and expired meat.” As a result, Husi was shut down and both fast food companies have switched suppliers.

I believe such practices are an extremely poor application of business ethics. These acts put the health of consumers at risk and can further damage the reputation of these chains. Despite the claims that fast food chains are switching to better, safer suppliers, these scandals that have surfaced multiple times placing an increased distrust among consumers. I personally try to avoid these fast food chains as much as possible because I know that these companies use fillers, chemicals, and preservatives to make their foods taste great, look more appealing, and even last after a full year. Nevertheless, many consumers still flock to this fast food chain because it is quick, convenient, and filling. McDonald’s still remains the number one fast food chain in the world and it does not seem to be drastically losing shares despite their poor safety and  moral ethics.

References

Lao, Chang. “CLASS 3: BUSINESS ETHICS – KFC.” Weblog post. Chang Lao’s Blog. WordPress, 8 Sept. 2014. Web. 27 Sept. 2014. <https://blogs.ubc.ca/aikenlao/2014/09/08/class-3-business-ethics-kfc/>

Solomon, Brian. “McDonald’s, KFC Snagged By New Food Safety Scandal In China.” Forbes. Forbes Magazine, 21 Sept. 2014. Web. 27 Sept. 2014. <http://www.forbes.com/sites/briansolomon/2014/07/21/mcdonalds-kfc-snagged-by-new-food-safety-scandal-in-china/>

“Top 10 Global Fast-Food Chains.” Forbes. Forbes Magazine, n.d. Web. 24 Sept. 2014. <http://www.forbes.com/pictures/feji45ihfj/1-mcdonalds-4/>

Image

Davies, Sally. Happy Meal, Day 180. Digital image. Treasure Hunt Adventure. On Topic Media, 12 Oct. 2010. Web. 26 Sept. 2014. <http://www.treasurehuntadventure.net/mcdonalds-food-indestructible/1/>