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There's a Chicken War Brewing Between McDonald's and KFC

McDonald's has stepped further into KFC's world, and the chicken chain isn't going to
just lay down and get trampled. It's fighting back, reports Scott Hume at Burger Business. In
January, McDonald's came out with the Chicken McBites a popcorn-chicken like offering it
imported from McDonald's Australia. It's now touting its Spicy Chicken McBites.
There's something even more threatening for KFC on the horizon. McDonald's CEO Don
Thompson has said that he's going to focus on chicken during the down economy.
In response, KFC is introducing KFC Original Recipe Bites, which will compete directly
against McDonald's Chicken McBites. It's a "shot across the bow of burger chains," according to
Burger Business.
Other fast food chains are getting geared up for the chicken war as well. Burger King
reformulated its Chicken Tenders; Sonic has brought back its Jumbo Popcorn Chicken, while
Checkers and Jack in the Box have brand new Chicken Nuggets.
Let the Chicken War commence!
2. KFC Bites Back in Chicken-Snack War
KFC is fighting back against burger chains continuing encroachment into its chicken territory.
This week the chicken-category leader introduces KFC Original Recipe Bites, an answer to
McDonalds addition of Chicken McBites in January (and the Spicy Chicken McBites currently
being promoted) and a shot across the bow of burger chains, warning that it intends to actively
fight for a major share of the chicken-snack market.
KFC tried Popcorn Chicken last falleven promoting them for $2.99but the product was
overshadowed by an avalanche of chicken snack items from the burger brands.
It was last September that BurgerBusiness.com predicted that chicken snacks would be the next
battleground for QSRs, and it has been just that. In addition to McDonalds adding Chicken
McBites and Spicy Chicken McBites, Burger King has reformulated its Chicken Tenders and
added new Chicken Strips, Sonic has revived its moribund Jumbo Popcorn Chicken,
Checkers/Rallys added Chicken Nuggets and Jack in the Box recently joined in with new
Chicken Nuggets of its own on its value menu.
KFC's Big Daddy Burger: Next stop U.S.?
KFCs Bites are being offered in a bundled meal of six all-breast-meat Bites plus a side dish and
beverage for $3.99. Both 15- and 30-second commercials from Draftfcb back the introduction.
KFC could bite the burger sector even harder in the near future. In Australia and, recently, in the
UK, KFC has placed itself in direct opposition to burger chains with chicken burgers of its
own. In the UK, for example, KFC recently added a Big Daddy Burger that combines a chicken
breast fillet, hash-brown-potato patty, mayo, ketchup, bacon and cheese on a sesame-seed bun.
KFC is expected to introduce a similar burger lineup in the U.S., where it already has the KFC
Snacker mini sandwich on the menu. McDonalds could counter with the McWings it already
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offers in several foreign markets as well as the CBO (chicken, bacon, onion) burger that has sold
well across Europe.
Burger King reveals its burgers were contaminated in horsemeat scandal
Fast food company said test results at production plant revealed 'very small trace levels' of horse
DNA in its products
Burger King said test results revealed very small trace levels of horse DNA.
Burger King has revealed that some of its burgers were contaminated in the horsemeat scare, as
the tainted food crisis threatened to undermine the confidence of consumers, and major retailers
tried to protect their reputations.
The fast food company whose products were not tested in the food standards checks by Irish
authorities that sparked the furore moved production from the Silvercrest plant in Ireland to
Germany and Italy as a precaution. On Thursday night it said test results at the plant revealed
"very small trace levels" of horse DNA in its products, but burgers taken from restaurants had
tested negative.
As governments in Ireland, the UK and Poland, where a supplier used by Silvercrest for a year is
thought be the source of the contamination, continued their investigations, Burger King admitted
that, contrary to previous assurances made to it by Silvercrest, it too had now been linked to the
scandal. Authorities insist there is no health danger to consumers.
Meanwhile Aldi UK became the first major retailer to suspend its contract with a British plant,
Dalepak Hambleton in North Yorkshire, which, like Silvercrest, is part of the ABP Food Group,
pending further investigations into why three of nine newly tested burger samples had traces of
horse and pork DNA. The products were from stock withdrawn in recent weeks as a precaution
but made since October, the company said.
The Aldi announcement came a week after tests at Dalepak for ABP and the UK Food Standards
Agency had come back negative for horse DNA. The FSA has also previously suggested that its
investigations into Dalepak were concentrating on events before October.
Aldi in Ireland has terminated its contract with the Silvercrest plant in County Monaghan where
Burger King, Tesco, the Co-op and Asda have all pulled out.
Burger King said: "Our independent DNA test results on product taken from restaurants were
negative for any equine DNA. However, four samples recently taken from the Silvercrest plant
have shown the presence of very small trace levels of equine DNA. Within the last 36 hours, we
have established that Silvercrest used a small percentage of beef imported from a non-approved
supplier in Poland. They promised to deliver 100% British and Irish beef patties and have not
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done so. This is a clear violation of our specifications, and we have terminated our relationship
with them."
Diego Beamonte, vice-president for global quality at Burger King, said the company was "deeply
troubled by the findings of our investigation and apologise to our guests, who trust us to source
only the highest quality 100% beef burgers. Our supplier has failed us and in turn we have failed
you".
Beamonte was cautious about answering questions about whether customers might have been
exposed to contaminated meat previously because of Silvercrest practices.
"Testing for equine DNA is not a standard practice used in beef production" he said. But the
company would look at whether additional checks including DNA testing and enhanced controls
to trace food through production were needed. "We will dedicate ourselves to determining what
lessons can be learned and what additional measures, including DNA testing and enhanced
traceability controls, might be added," he said.
"We received our negative results last week and were advised of the Irish Department of
Agriculture's final results this week.
"As you know, ABP and the Polish supplier are subject to an ongoing investigation by the
authorities and Burger King continues to support this process. What is clear now is that the
January sample which never left the factory tested positive for trace amounts of equine DNA
whilst the December sample which was distributed to restaurants tested negative for equine
DNA."
All the major supermarkets, including those not implicated in test results by the Food Safety
Authority of Ireland published on January 15 which started the scare, withdrew from sale
products made at the two ABP plants and Liffey Meats as a precaution.
But Waitrose, which has since restocked, and Sainsbury's, which both use Dalepak, never
suspended their contracts there. Aldi UK said one sample of three of its Oakhurst Beef Quarter
Pounders had been found to be o.1% pork and 0.1% equine DNA. One Frozen Oakhurst
Beefburger 16 pack showed 0.1% equine trace and a similar amount of pig was found in a
Specially Selected Aberdeen Angus Quarter Pounder. These were all from stock withdrawn from
sale but made since October. A spokesman for Aldi said: "We are deeply angry and feel let down
by our supplier and we are pursuing more tests until we are certain that we understand how the
production line was contaminated."
Labour called on all supermarkets to introduce routine testing to check that all cheap pork,
chicken and turkey products as well as beef were not contaminated by other animal sources. Huw
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Irranca-Davies, the party's food and farming spokesman, said: "The major supermarkets and
processors have a duty to their customers to DNA-check all value-meat products to restore
confidence in the supply chain, which has been badly damaged by this scandal. Retailers need to
reassure consumers about what checks are being undertaken."
Silvercrest, one of the biggest burger plants in Europe, employing 140 people and normally
producing 200m burgers a year, is closed for deepcleaning and a change of management. ABP
continued to apologise for its part in the affair.
DNA testing and other inquiries are continuing in Poland. In all, 21 pallets of frozen trimmings,
made up of beef and horse off-cuts, are thought to have been delivered to Ireland by a Polish
company running a cold store in the centre of the country. It had taken meat from five
slaughterhouses, not owned by that company and not licensed to slaughter horses. The identity of
these plants has not been revealed.
The legal import of horsemeat to Britain is tiny, 30 tons last year from all sources. Poland's
contribution was 9kg of offal last year, compared to 1kg of meat in 2011.