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Johannesburg - Woolworths Holdings [JSE:WHL] is experiencing a shortage of chicken at various stores across Gauteng following a disruption to the municipal water supply in Potchefstroom, where several of its suppliers are based.
Finweek was able to confirm that Woolworths stores in Morningside and Gallo Manor, Johannesburg suburbs just north of Sandton, had no chicken on their shelves.
A staff member at one of the two stores would only say that the retailer had experienced “issues” with its chicken supplies.
“Chicken deliveries to Woolworths Gauteng stores have been slowed by a disruption in the municipal water supply in Potchefstroom where key regional suppliers are based,” Woolworths said in a written response to questions from Finweek.
“We have supplemented supply to these stores with product from other suppliers in other regions. We expect supply to be back to normal in the next few days.”
South Africa is reeling from a meat scandal similar to the one that rocked the UK in recent weeks, in which horse flesh was found in products that was proclaimed to be beef.
DNA tests conducted by scientists at the University of Stellenbosch found that certain meat products sold in SA, including sausages and hamburger patties, contained traces of goat, water buffalo, donkey and other unlisted meat ingredients.
A separate study by the University of the Western Cape found that 100 of 146 biltong samples that it tested contained undeclared meat species including horse, pork and kangaroo.
For more go to finweek.com or follow Finweek on Twitter.
