Five employees of Shanghai Husi Food Co who were implicated in the meat scandal were detained yesterday.
The quintet includes the company's top executive and its quality manager, the Shanghai public security bureau said in a statement. It did not elaborate.
Zhang Hui, manager of Husi's quality department, told investigators earlier that the company has been repackaging and selling out-of-date meat for many years.
Also yesterday, two more companies — Carl's Jr Shanghai and Shanghai Yuanhong Warehouse & Logistics Co — were named as having used products supplied by Husi.
The update takes the number of affected firms to 11. The list includes McDonald's, Pizza Hut, Burger King, Papa Johns, Dicos and 7-Eleven.
Carl's Jr and Yuanhong said that all suspect foods have been removed from sale and sealed for collection.
The Shanghai Food and Drug Administration said it has sent 124 batches of Husi products for laboratory testing. As of yesterday, it had investigated 581 businesses and removed all suspect foods.
In the wake of the incident, fast food giant Yum Brands Inc, owner of KFC and Pizza Hut, said yesterday it has stopped all procurement from Husi China and will reevaluate its supervision and management system for suppliers.
The company said it also reserves the right to take legal action against Husi, a decision which will be taken upon completion of the government's investigation.
As a result of the scandal, some Pizza Hut products will be temporarily unavailable, though normal service has resumed at KFC outlets after a replacement supplier was found, Yum said.
Such is the scale of the scandal that it has now spread overseas. In Japan, the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare said yesterday that it too has launched an investigation.
McDonald's and FamilyMart in Japan said they have halted sales of all food products linked to Husi.
McDonald's Japan imported about 4,300 tons of chicken nuggets from Shanghai Husi last year, or about 20 percent of all such products sold in the country. The fast food company has 1,340 outlets in Japan.
FamilyMart said that it has stopped selling a garlic chicken product at about 10,000 outlets across the country.
Japan's health ministry said it is trying to find out if any other local companies have imported expired meat from Shanghai Husi.
Meanwhile, the Shanghai Entry-Exit Inspection and Quarantine Bureau said yesterday it has launched an investigation into all food products exported by the company.
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