KFC: Our chickens don’t have eight legs

By Verne KopytoffSenior Editor, Tech
Verne KopytoffSenior Editor, Tech

Verne Kopytoff is a senior editor at Fortune overseeing trends in the tech industry. 

CHINA-FOOD-SAFETY-CRIME-POLICE
Two people walk past a KFC fast food restaurant (L) in Shanghai on July 23, 2014. Chinese police on July 23 detained five people from a unit of US food supplier OSI Group, officers said, in a case involving expired meat sold to fast food giants including McDonald's and KFC. AFP PHOTO / JOHANNES EISELE (Photo credit should read JOHANNES EISELE/AFP/Getty Images)
JOHANNES EISELE/AFP--Getty Images

KFC wants everyone to know that its chickens look nothing like flying spiders.

The fried chicken chain has sued three Chinese companies for allegedly spreading a false rumor that its poultry has six wings and eight legs, according to the Wall Street Journal. The lawsuit accuses the companies of “misleading the consumer” by posting the inaccurate information on social media, in photos and in articles.

The companies targeted by the lawsuit are Ying Chen An Zhi Chenggong Culture Communications, Wei Lu Kuang Technology, and Ling Dian Technology, the article said. The three companies couldn’t be reached for comment.

KFC, owned by Yum Brands (YUM), is trying to recover from a public relations nightmare in China after news last year that one of its suppliers used sold it and McDonald’s old meat. Customers reacted by avoiding KFC, causing sales and profits to sharply decline. Previously, in 2012, a Chinese media report alleged that another supplier had used growth hormones and antibiotics to fatten chickens. KFC ultimately apologized for failing to tell Chinese regulators about high levels of certain drugs and hormones for accelerating the growth of some of its poultry.

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