Fast food giant KFC's Chinese subsidiary has vowed to cooperate with authorities investigating claims by state television that its chicken suppliers had injected banned substances and growth hormones in its poultry.
State television CCTV said that a commercial chicken producer called Liu He Zhi Tuan had been feeding antiviral drugs and growth hormones to its chickens.
The chickens were then supplied to KFC and McDonalds, without any kind of quality checks.
KFC said it would punish its chicken suppliers harshly if they are found to have flouted the law by doing so.
The company stated that they inspected their suppliers each year and they should have passed strict assessments.
In an official statement online it stated: "KFC attaches great importance to the contents of the media report and will actively cooperate with the relevant government departments' investigation.
If (we) find out that our suppliers have conducted any illegal activity, (we) will handle it strictly".
The Shanghai Food and Drug Administration is conducting tests in poultry that was supplied to a logistics centre in Shanghai of the KFC parent company, Yum Brands, according to state news agency Xinhua.
The company however, has dismissed reports that it was feeding its birds toxic additives.