Yoshinoya has another food safety problem. Recently, in a Yoshinoya store in Shanghai, a customer felt unwell after eating chicken nuggets. After inspection by law enforcement officers, some chicken nuggets in the store were expired. Previously, a self-media platform released a video, exposing the suspected use of stinky minced meat in a store of Yoshinoya, which caused heated discussions among netizens.
Yoshinoya fined again for expired ingredients
Recently, a customer of Shanghai Yoshinojia Henan Road Store was eating in the store and felt uncomfortable after eating fried chicken nuggets. After inspection by law enforcement officers, it was found that one box of marinated chicken nuggets in the store’s refrigerator had exceeded the shelf life, and one bag of frozen chicken nuggets was stored. The temperature does not meet the requirements.
According to the Tianyancha App, the Henan Road store of Shanghai Yoshinojia Fast Food Co., Ltd. was fined 10,000 yuan by the Shanghai Huangpu District Market Supervision and Administration Bureau for producing and operating food that exceeded the expiration date.
Once the incident was exposed, netizens complained. Some netizens said that this is not the first time Yoshinoya has discovered expired food.
Yoshinoya was ridiculed for its response to “meat stinks”
Previously, a self-media platform released an investigation video, exposing the suspected use of expired vegetables and the smell of minced meat in a Yoshinoya store. In response, Yoshinoya’s official Weibo responded quickly that the restaurant in question was not operated by the company, causing heated discussions among netizens.
On November 29 last year, the video blogger @Inside Picket Bureau broke the news on Weibo that he had recently visited Yoshinoya unannounced, and Yoshinoya claimed to provide customers with the freshest and highest quality food, selling “the best beef rice”. In practice, not only is it difficult to guarantee freshness, but even expired cabbage and spinach will continue to be used. The minced meat used to make Mapo Tofu has become stinky and sour. There is no testing standard for oil. The old oil is added with new oil and continues to be used. The oil quality is seriously black, and the hygiene of the kitchen is also worrying.
After the video was exposed, many netizens expressed that they were too disgusting and would not eat it in the future. Some netizens reported that they had eaten suspected spoiled food at Yoshino’s house.
Shortly after the exposure video was released, Yoshinoya’s official Weibo responded that Yoshinoya belongs to different operating companies in the Chinese market, and Yoshinoya in Beijing, Tianjin, Hebei, Henan, Inner Mongolia, and Northeast China is operated by Hexing Catering Group. The Yoshinoya restaurant in the video is not within the company’s operations.
The statement also stated that the company has arranged for the main leaders to lead the establishment of a self-inspection working group. From now on, self-inspection and self-correction work will be carried out in the Yoshinoya restaurant operated by the company.
Netizens did not buy it for the “separation” of Yoshino’s family in the statement, and they started the ridicule mode one after another.
Some people said that this kind of statement is like “it’s not my child who got into trouble, it’s my child who won the prize”; some asked back, “Why don’t you say it’s a temporary worker”; and some netizens questioned why Yoshinoya has different operating companies in China, why there is only one Weibo account and no division.
Many Yoshinoya branches step on the red line of food safety, and 150 stores have been closed
In fact, before the food safety turmoil, several subsidiaries and branches of Yoshinoya were also administratively punished for touching the red line of food safety, and their lives were not satisfactory.
Among them, Shenzhen Yoshinojia Fast Food Co., Ltd. was fined 5,500 yuan for food violations; Shenzhen Yoshinojia Fast Food Co., Ltd. Zhongxin Branch was warned for food violations. Beijing Yoshinoya Fast Food Co., Ltd. Guangwai Branch was punished for 2 violations of food safety laws; Shanghai Yoshinoya Fast Food Co., Ltd. was fined 11,200 yuan for publishing false advertisements; Shenzhen Yoshinoya Fast Food Co., Ltd. was fined 5,500 yuan for food violations.
According to public information, Hexing Catering Group, which issued a statement on Weibo, operates brands such as Yoshinoya in Japan and DQ in the United States in some parts of the country.
In September last year, the Beijing Fengtai District Market Supervision and Administration Bureau issued a notice on the handling of video safety issues in stores. Beijing Yoshinojia Fast Food Co., Ltd. Fengke Ice Cream Shop (signboard name: DQ), the parties did not formulate and implement production and business process control requirements as required, and administrative penalties were applied for violating the Food Safety Law are given warnings.
According to Tianyancha, Yoshinoya (China) Investment Co., Ltd. was established in June 2015. The company invested in more than ten companies in Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen, Tianjin, Jiangxi and other places.
Since 2017, the net profit of Hexing Group in China has been declining, and even a loss in 2020; and on April 14, 2021, the 2020 financial report released by the parent company of Yoshinoya in Japan showed that Yoshinoya’s annual performance in 2020 was a net loss. Up to 7.5 billion yen (about 450 million yuan). Due to the sharp drop in Yoshinoya’s turnover due to the impact of the new crown epidemic, Yoshinoya has closed 150 stores worldwide in 2020. At present, Yoshinoya has more than 1,000 overseas stores worldwide, of which more than 60% are Chinese stores.
In the highly competitive restaurant industry, Yoshinoya keeps trying to expand its categories, including the sale of prepackaged food, semi-finished products, ingredients, beverages and snacks, and home kitchen products.
Whether Yoshinoya’s actions in new directions are effective or need market verification, the use of expired ingredients and illegal operations are undoubtedly a direct manifestation of loopholes in its management. Before picking up the love of consumers, the first task is to correct the attitude of attaching importance to food safety. Source