Chapter 85

Chapter 33: No Problem with the Oil Frying

The "oil frying scandal" was a hot topic online, but in the real world, it was as calm as if nothing had happened. There were no reports on TV or in newspapers, and all media outside the internet remained silent on the matter.

At this time, the 2000 Sydney Olympics were in full swing, and various TV stations and related media were extensively reporting on the athletic prowess of Chinese Olympians. For a while, the country was filled with cheers and support for the athletes, creating a harmonious atmosphere.

However, this calm was just a false appearance, a calm before the storm.

Health bureaus across the country had received notifications to conduct secret inspections of McDonald's and KFC fast-food restaurants to determine whether the "oil frying scandal" was an isolated incident or a widespread issue, and whether all fast-food restaurants were involved.

Regardless of whether it was an isolated or widespread issue, health bureaus and city leaderships across the country were instructed to handle the matter discreetly to avoid causing an international incident at this critical juncture.

The reason was simple: China was in bilateral trade negotiations with the United States and hoped for permanent normal trade relations. Therefore, the "oil frying scandal" involving two American Fortune 500 companies had to be handled discreetly.

As a high-ranking official in China privately remarked: "Chinese people have been eating fried dough sticks for over a thousand years, and nothing bad has happened. Compared to that, the oil used by McDonald's and KFC is much cleaner. This is not a big deal!"

The third-party monitoring agencies hired by McDonald's and KFC conducted random inspections of the two fast-food restaurants in Chushi and other fast-food restaurants across the country. They did not find arsenic, a carcinogen, but they did find acrylamide, which was present in the frying oil of almost all inspected fast-food restaurants.

(Acrylamide is a white crystalline chemical substance used in the production of polyacrylamide. About 90% of acrylamide that enters the human body is metabolized, with only a small amount being excreted in urine. Acrylamide can bind to guanine in DNA, causing genetic damage and mutations.)

However, due to insufficient epidemiological data and biomarker data from animal and human studies, it has not been conclusively determined whether acrylamide is carcinogenic to humans. Currently, acrylamide cannot be completely eliminated from food, so the two companies chose to selectively ignore it.

Later, the third-party monitoring agencies hired by McDonald's and KFC conducted secret inspections of Lin Feng's Start Fast Food restaurants. To the disappointment of the two companies, the frying oil in all of Lin Feng's Start Fast Food restaurants was clean and free of any impurities.

Looking at the evaluation report of the Start Fast Food chain on the display screen, the presidents of the two companies shook their heads repeatedly.

"Madman, madman, this guy must be crazy. Who would change the frying oil every six hours in a fast-food restaurant!" McDonald's President Jim Cantalupo could not understand why Lin Feng would run his business this way. He had calculated Lin Feng's costs and profits, and the profit margin was only about 0.5%, which no profit-seeking boss would do.

"All Chinese people are madmen!" KFC President David Piotrowski's attention returned to the "oil frying scandal," and he called for the relevant national departments to give everyone an explanation.

Three days later, the growing wave of protests finally forced the government to hold a press conference.

At the conference, the Minister of Health solemnly informed everyone that after more than 1,230 repeated inspections nationwide, the "oil frying scandal" was found to be an isolated incident. No arsenic was found in the other nearly 1,000 McDonald's and KFC chain stores. He urged everyone not to panic and to eat with confidence.

At the same time, McDonald's and KFC also held a press conference to refute the widespread online claims that all fast-food chain stores contained carcinogens. They explained in detail that the oil filter powder was used to filter impurities from the frying oil and was absolutely in compliance with China's "Hygienic Standard for the Use of Food Additives." They assured all consumers that the presence of carcinogens was an isolated incident and not due to the oil filter powder.

They also warned all Chinese consumers that billions of people worldwide eat at McDonald's and KFC, and no cases of illness due to frying oil have been reported.

The public did not accept the explanations from the Health Ministry and McDonald's and KFC. Instead, they compared Lin Feng's Start Fast Food restaurants, asking why there were no issues with the frying oil in Lin Feng's restaurants, while the super companies, which were part of the Fortune 500, had carcinogens. They strongly demanded that McDonald's and KFC stop using oil filter powder.

This question left the Health Ministry and McDonald's and KFC in an awkward position. They could only secretly curse Lin Feng for being a freak, changing the frying oil every six hours, and how he made any profit.

If you're not making a profit, why open a fast-food restaurant!

At the same time, many netizens called for Start Fast Food to reveal the secret of why no carcinogens were found in their frying oil. In response to the public's calls, Lin Feng, frustrated by the Health Ministry's evasiveness on key issues, revealed his method of changing the frying oil every six hours.

This was like a slap in the face for McDonald's and KFC, and netizens immediately demanded that they disclose their frying oil change schedules.

In response, McDonald's and KFC remained silent and did not give a direct answer. They only stated that the oil filter powder met the food additive standards of any country and was absolutely safe.

The public was even more outraged by McDonald's and KFC's evasive responses. They loudly called for the government to enact laws to ban the use of oil filter powder in frying oil.

The Health Ministry was extremely embarrassed by this request. The use of oil filter powder was not limited to McDonald's and KFC; it was used by almost all food industries—of course, many of which never changed the frying oil. If such a law were enacted, it would have a catastrophic impact on the entire food industry in the country.

Under the premise of stability, harmony, and steady development, this was absolutely unacceptable. However, the public continued to use Lin Feng's Start Fast Food chain as an example. To build a healthy image in the hearts of the people, Lin Feng had always promoted the concept of putting people first and running a conscientious business. This made the Health Ministry very frustrated and even a bit angry at Lin Feng's lack of understanding of the bigger picture.

It seems that it's time to have a talk with the owner of Start Fast Food. — A high-ranking official secretly gave the order.

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