McDonald's China responds to moldy ice cream allegations

McDonald's China has said that all components in its ice cream machines in its Chinese outlets will be cleaned and changed regularly to ensure the high safety of the food, reports thepaper.cn.

The move follows the appearance of photos on social media showing the tray of an ice cream machine in a McDonald's outlet in the US state of Louisiana, covered in mold.

A tray covered in mold, allegedly from the ice cream machine in a McDonald's outlet in the US state of Louisiana. [File photo: thepaper.cn]

The photos were reportedly posted on Twitter by a university student who was working part-time in the McDonald's outlet. 

Since it appeared on 26 July, the Tweet has been reposted tens of thousands of times, and the Federal Drug Administration has reportedly begun an investigation into the incident.

McDonald's China used its Sina Weibo social media account to pledge it would uphold high food safety standards in all its stores. [File photo: thepaper.cn]

McDonald's shares have also experienced a big slump on the stock markets.

News of the incident is also spreading quickly in China, McDonald's biggest overseas market.