One for all and all for one, leave no man behind, you’re only as strong as your weakest link – all of these are regularly trotted out in manly war time movies as a sign of solidarity amongst those fighting for a common cause.

It seems KFC South Africa don’t exactly subscribe to the any of those above sayings, as they are now desperately seeking to distance themselves from international outlets that aren’t covering themselves in glory.

Amidst allegations of food contamination from KFC India our local brand has issued a strong statement, with this below from Health24:

“This allegation relates to KFC India and is in no way linked to KFC South Africa,” KFC Africa Managing Director Doug Smart said.

“KFC India has thoroughly investigated this incident and believe this is a case of malicious intent on the part of some individuals trying to damage our brand reputation.”

Brand damage? A trip down a very recent memory lane (HERE and HERE) reveals that KFC here at home have dragged their own name through the mad without help from abroad. So what did these allegations made against KFC India entail?

The Andhra Pradesh Child Rights Association, an NGO, claimed that chicken samples collected from five outlets in the Indian state of Hyderabad were found to have E. coli and salmonella bacteria.

E.coli thrives in raw or undercooked meat, unpasteurised milk dairy products and has also been found in raw vegetables and apple juice, while salmonella bacteria can be found in food products such as raw poultry, eggs, beef and sometimes on unwashed fruit.

KFC India condemned the findings but it really is another black mark against the brand, whoever you choose to believe. The problem with our local guys trying to distance themselves from those abroad is a simple one really – as consumers we buy into a chain, one single standard, a business that succeeds partly because it is a global fast-food monster.

When the chips are down you don’t get to choose to distance yourself from your global buddies KFC South Africa, I don’t want to sound like an army general from a Hollywood blockbuster but you’re all in this together.

Pizza anyone?

[source:health24]