Congee chain restaurant staff in China caught by undercover news program reusing leftover food and not washing dirty hands
- Two fast-food congee chains have had to apologise after a news program caught staff on camera not observing basic hygiene
- Both the Man Lin and Sanmi Congee chains have thrived as their cheap, ‘healthy’ food gained popularity amid China’s food delivery boom
Two of China’s most popular congee chain restaurants have apologised following scandals involving reusing leftover food and other unhygienic practices.
Kitchen staff at a Man Ling chain restaurant, which has over 1,000 stores around the country and numerous fans including Taiwanese television host Dee Hsu, were caught using leftover food to cook congee and handling food without washing their hands.
A staff worker was seen picking pork ribs out of a pot of leftover soup and used them to cook Chinese yam and meat congee for other customers, footage aired on a local TV station revealed.
“Yeah, it’s leftover. It’s ok to cook it again,” another worker answered when inquired by the undercover reporter whether there would be a food safety issue.
The camera also caught kitchen staff handling cooked food with dirty hands multiple times.
The store, located in the southeastern city of Fuzhou, was shut down after an undercover investigation by Fujian Television revealed a series of sanitation problems, the restaurant said in a statement earlier this week.