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09th Jun 2015

KFC Set to Sue Over “Eight-Legged Chicken” Rumours

The fast food chain is taking the matter to court...

Rebecca McKnight

kfc

Fast food chain KFC is suing three Chinese firms, following rumours about its food. 

Representatives for KFC believe the firms in question are responsible for the false claims – the most disturbing of which is that KFC uses “eight-legged chickens”.

According to the BBC, the American fried chicken outlet is seeking compensation of 1.5m yuan (€214,000) and an apology.

TIANJIN, CHINA - 2015/02/24: Fried chicken hamburger and freshly ground coffee supplied by KFC.   KFC restaurants in China will start selling freshly ground coffee in 2015 to become a lower-cost premium alternative to Starbucks. (Photo by Zhang Peng/LightRocket via Getty Images)

Rumours apparently shared via the WeChat app were said by the brand to have been shared in over 4,000 subsequent posts. The posts included the claim that KFC used chickens genetically modified to have six wings and eight legs.

Qu Cuirong, KFC China’s president, said in a statement: “This not only seriously misled consumers, but also hurt our brand”.