TAIPEI (TVBS News) — Taiwan's KFC (肯德基) on Thursday (Jan. 2) responded to a customer's discovery of transparent beads in the new Snowflake Cheese Crispy Chicken, attributing the issue to an isolated operational mishap involving broken food-grade desiccants during the preparation process.
The incident came to light a day earlier when the customer alleged accidentally swallowing the beads during consumption. The customer shared their experience online, noting the unexpected presence of beads on the chicken ordered on New Year's Day. KFC has confirmed that the beads were silicone desiccants, which are non-toxic and naturally expelled from the body without absorption.
KFC has initiated a comprehensive review of operational procedures across all outlets in Taiwan. The company has also reached out to the affected customer to offer support and reassurance. KFC expressed regret for the inconvenience and pledged to enhance restaurant management and staff training to prevent future occurrences.
Meanwhile, the city's health department conducted an inspection earlier that day, finding no foreign objects in the Snowflake Cheese Crispy Chicken. However, inspectors noted unclean frying equipment and have required KFC to rectify the issue by Sunday. Failure to comply may result in fines ranging from NT$60,000 to NT$200 million under the "Food Safety and Sanitation Act" (食品安全衛生管理法).
