KFC Australia is forced to remove a popular menu item in two states
KFC will no longer sell chicken nuggets at some of its restaurants in Victoria and South Australia, due to unspecified supply chain issues.
The fast food giant insisted this supply chain “disruption” has nothing to do with the bird flu outbreak sweeping chicken farms in Victoria state.
Nuggets are no longer on the menu, guests are offered Popcorn Chicken as an alternative.
KFC will no longer sell chicken nuggets in some restaurants in Victoria and South Australia, due to unspecified supply chain issues (stock image)
“There has been a very minor disruption within our supply chain, which means some KFC restaurants in Victoria and South Australia will not be serving nuggets and will be offering Popcorn Chicken as a replacement for our shared meals,” a spokesperson said.
“We can confirm that this supply issue is not related to the bird flu outbreak.
“We are working with our suppliers to get things back on track so that affected areas can be replenished as quickly as possible.”
Six Victorian poultry farms have discovered cases of bird flu, sparking fears of egg shortages and mass culling of birds.
The global spread of the virus has fueled online conspiracy theories and disinformation about the risks to food supplies and Covid-style lockdowns.
Six Victorian poultry farms have discovered cases of bird flu, sparking fears of egg shortages and mass culling of birds (stock image)
Dozens of bizarre claims are circulating on Facebook, TikTok and X that bird flu is being deliberately injected into animals to destroy food supplies.
Other social media users predict that the World Health Organization will somehow use the outbreak as a pretext to declare martial law or cancel national elections.
Scientists and industry experts have rejected these claims, saying the risk to human health in Australia remains low and egg shortages are unlikely.
They say the more dangerous variant of bird flu (H5N1) spreading in North America and Europe is not the same as the two (H7N3 and H7N9) detected in Victoria.
Australian Chicken Growers Council CEO Dr Joanna Sillince says the response to the local outbreak has been “a textbook example”, with governments and industry working together “in perfect harmony”.
Dr. Sillince has also debunked claims about possible food shortages.
“There is no shortage of eggs in Victoria,” she said. ‘Poultry meat and eggs are completely safe to eat.’