(Yicai Global) March 16 -- Master Kong Holdings and Uni-President China Holdings, two Chinese instant noodle makers, and US fast-food giant Kentucky Fried Chicken have responded to a pickle safety scandal exposed by this year’s 315 show, an annual television event that spotlights consumer rights abuses by businesses.

The show, broadcast by China Central Television yesterday evening, exposed Hunan Xinchaqi Vegetable, Yayuan Pickled Food Factory, Hunan Tantanqiao, and Hunan Jinrui Food for producing sauerkraut, an ingredient for pickles, in pits whose health standards failed all tests. Some workers entered the pits barefoot and dropped in cigarette butts and leaves, while some firms use up to 10 times the permitted amount of preservatives.

Master Kong told Yicai Global that it canceled its cooperation with Xinchaqi Vegetable and that it never used the products from the other pickle suppliers involved in the scandal.

Uni-President, a unit of Taiwan-based food giant Uni-President Enterprises, said late yesterday that Xinchaqi Vegetable has not been one of its suppliers for the past five years. It also added that it questioned Jinrui Food’s person in charge and sealed all sauerkraut packages from the Hunan-based producer to jointly undergo quality tests with the market regulator.

Uni-President immediately ended Jinrui Food’s supplier qualification and started an investigation into possible management problems, the company said, noting that it will take strict corrective measures and make known the results as soon as possible.

But the instant noodle maker modified the statement soon after, saying that its sauerkraut packages are self-produced as the company had banned the use of external ingredients for a long time. Moreover, Uni-President asked Xinchaqi Vegetable to remove its name from the list of supplied companies on its website.

KFC also published a Weibo post yesterday evening, stating that Xinchaqi Vegetable is not a supplier and has no relationship with it. The fast-food giant required the sauerkraut maker to immediately delete the false information on its website.

According to Xinchaqi Vegetable’s website, it directly supplies products to many companies such as Master Kong, Uni-President, KFC, and McDonald's. The latter has not yet responded.

March 15 is World Consumer Rights Day, and CCTV hosts a special show that is famous for naming and shaming brands for unethical or illegal business practices. The gala is known as 315 because of the broadcast date. This year’s event focused on the platform economy, live streaming, food safety, public safety, and aesthetic treatments.

Editor: Futura Costaglione