BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN

BURGER King Brunei clarified yesterday that “all of its beef burgers are perfectly safe to eat”.

The company advised members of the public “to not spread false information,” in response to a netizen who posted on social media that she bought a burger from the franchise’s airport branch “with a beef patty that had a very questionable, unpleasant shape.”

The person asked if the burger “was edible”. Her post at the Burger King Brunei’s Facebook page has garnered 367 shares as of 9pm yesterday.

Burger King Brunei invited The Brunei Times to its main branch in the capital yesterday to explain the beef patty’s shape and the procedures that the franchise abides with to ensure the food served are safe for consumption.

Marketing Manager Lim Kai Wei said that every day they have a checklist of procedures that they must meet, including temperature and quality control, noting that their No 1 priority is food safety.

“Every burger is freshly made every day and the appearances of those meat patties are the same in every Burger King in every country because we have the same supplier,” he said.

“The patties have always appeared that (way) since we started operation,” he added.

Lim shared an email which was used to reply the netizens who have questioned the burgers on the franchise’s Facebook page.

The email stated that the photograph depicts the “normal reactions” of broiled Burger King Beef patties.

“The brown residue and crater -like cavities that can be seen on the patty is a reaction of natural beef proteins that fill perforation cavities in the beef patty,” it said.

“This occurs naturally, as the Burger King beef patties are made from 100 per cent beef.

“Perforation is a process that ensures the patty is thoroughly and evenly cooked. This is an essential requirement of the Burger King Beef patty specification,” the email said.

“The photo does not highlight any food safety or quality issue. This is the normal appearance for perforated, broiled beef patties,” it added.

Operations Manager Saifulizam Zamhor assured the public that every burger they make “is fresh and safe to eat, and that they have a period depicting a product’s danger zone”.

“(Once) a beef patty has exceeded one hour or has exceeded a certain temperature, it falls into the danger zone and [is] disposed of,” he said.

He added that the franchise follows strict rules and has passed the audit of the Ministry of Health and is already certified halal in other markets, with halal certificates from suppliers and is working towards obtaining the Brunei Halal seal by working closely with the cooperation of local authorities.

Saifulizam advised members of the public to avoid posting accusations on social media, which can affect people’s businesses and local employment.

“The staff here are all fully-trained right from the first day they stepped into the kitchen,” he said.

“Our workers are almost 100 per cent locals because we want to support the government’s initiative to offer employment for locals. So please do not spread such false information,” he said.

The Brunei Times