Chinese food safety inspectors have suspended the operations of the company that supplies meat products to McDonald's and other international fast-food outlets in Shanghai.

The supplier, Shanghai Husi Food Co., was suspected of providing expired meat to McDonald's stores in China, according to the Xinhua news agency.

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Shanghai Husi also supplies meat to the China branches of KFC and Pizza Hut.

The Shanghai Food and Drug Administration (SFDA) sent inspectors to a Shanghai Husi factory after an undercover television journalist reportedly discovered that workers at the plant were repackaging and beef and chicken products that had passed their expiration dates.

The reporter also found the factory had poor hygienic practices, according to local media.

The SFDA is investigating the claims.

Following the SFDAs' move, McDonalds Corp. and Yum! Brands, the parent company of KFC and Pizza Hut issued statements announcing they would stop using meat products purchased from Shanghai Husi.

Shanghai Husi is owned by the Illinois-based OSI Group.

An OSI China manager said the company had a strict quality-control system and would cooperate with the SFDA inquiry.

This is not the first time that McDonald's and Yum have found themselves in hot water over food safety.

In 2012, the State Food and Drug Administration ordered the closure of a McDonald's outlet in Beijing following a report by state television broadcaster CCTV that  the store sold chicken wings after they were cooked, breaking the company's 30 minutes rule.

CCTV mentioned several other violations at the restaurant, including staff repackaging raw meat that had fallen on the ground.

In the case of Yum, CCTV came out with an exposé claiming that chicken products from KFC's local suppliers were laced with excessive antibiotics.

Yum's profits fell sharply in early 2013 as a result of the allegations, which some critics said were part of a Chinese media campaign against American food companies. 

TagsMcDonald's food scandal, Yum food scandal