Thiruvananthapuram: Worms make the KFC squirm

Chicken and fast food chain Kentucky Fried Chicken’s (KFC) Thiruvananthapuram outlet has been closed down on Monday after worms were found wriggling out of a chicken delicacy served to a family.

The KFC outlet at QRS Square, Pulimoodu, will remain closed until further orders and its licence has been suspended, an officer of the Food Safety Commissionerate said. The outlet had sourced the chicken from Suguna Chickens, Coimbatore, he said. The outlet was opened in May.

“We’ve taken samples of all the food products served there - frozen products and oil included,” said D Sivakumar, Food Safety Designated Officer, Thiruvananthapuram.

The food safety officers acted on a complaint filed by Shiju Abdul Rasheed who visited the outlet with his wife, son and two cousins on Monday evening. They ordered broasted chicken and ‘fiery chicken.’ Tiny worms began to wriggle out when Shiju broke off a small piece of ‘fiery chicken’. He immediately alerted the staff. They offered to replace the dish, which he declined.

“I rang up a friend of mine in the health department and another in the police. But then, the staff began saying the food was not served by them and that I’d brought it from outside,” Shiju, who works in Saudi Arabia, said. Shiju has handed over the bill to the food officials.

Following the incident, three other units of the fast food chain in the state - two in Kochi and one in Kozhikode - saw food safety officers swoop down and take samples of the food being served there.