Chinese hotpot chain Xiaolongkan shuts three restaurants after hygiene breaches exposed
Xiaolongkan promises regular inspections after problems including reusing food leftovers were revealed at some of its eateries
A large hotpot chain has shut three of its restaurants in China amid allegations that they reused meat left over by customers, recycled cooking oil and broke hygiene regulations.
The claims against the Xiaolongkan eateries were made in a four-minute long investigative report published on the Chinese video-sharing platform PearVideo.
The firm is the latest hotpot chain in China to face allegation of lax hygiene conditions in recent years.
A spokeswoman for Xiaolongkan – which has more than 700 outlets in China plus three in Singapore, New Zealand and Australia – said it had launched a series of inspections and measures to tackle any problems, with three of the restaurants at the centre of the allegations closed until the issues were resolved.
A statement released by the company on Tuesday said: “Xiaolongkan believes that food safety is a red line that cannot be crossed. We have deeply looked into the problems and found that we have failed to regulate hygienic conditions and food safety at some restaurants.”