There are black clumps stuck to the chicken bones sold by a famous chicken company. [Image source=Yonhap News]
[Asia Economy Reporter Hwang Sumi] A controversy has arisen after it was revealed that a famous chicken company processed and sold chicken with insufficiently drained blood.
According to Yonhap News Agency, office worker A, who lives in Seoul, ordered fried chicken wings from a nearby chicken chain on the 3rd and noticed black clots stuck to the bones. Upon closer inspection, such clots were found on the bones of all the delivered chicken wings. Even the chopsticks used to pick up the chicken were stained with black foreign substances.
Feeling disgusted and unable to properly eat the chicken, A called the store to complain, but the store responded with "We don't know." The situation was the same when contacting the headquarters. The headquarters reportedly downplayed the issue, saying, "It is harmless to the human body. It poses no threat to life, so it is safe to eat," according to A.
Angered, A took photos of the bone pieces with black clots and protested again to the headquarters. Only then did he receive an apology, with the headquarters admitting, "After checking with the supplier, it was confirmed that the chicken was distributed without properly draining the blood." The company also stated that it conducted an on-site investigation of the cooperating supplier and disposed of all the chicken with insufficiently drained blood.
A told Yonhap News Agency, "The company's initial response that it was safe to eat was absurd." He also pointed out, "According to the company, there is a possibility that more chicken with undrained blood has been distributed, which is a serious quality control issue."
In fact, the black discoloration of chicken bones, known as blackening, is often observed by consumers. This is mainly caused when the chicken experiences stress during slaughter, causing the wings not to spread or the muscles to stiffen, resulting in poor blood drainage. This phenomenon also occurs when there is insufficient time to drain the blood.
The company states that if consumers find chicken with insufficiently drained blood during consumption and complain, they offer refunds or exchanges.
However, some criticize this as shifting responsibility onto consumers. While chicken processing companies should thoroughly check for this, it is pointed out that due to labor cost burdens for specialized personnel, proper handling is often lacking. Many consumers reportedly fail to demand proper compensation because they do not realize that the black substance on the chicken bones is blood.
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