“整个人都不好了”！华莱士吃出活蛆，涉事商家回应

Core Viewpoint - The article highlights a serious food safety incident involving Wallace, a fast-food chain, where a customer discovered a live maggot in a fried chicken leg, raising concerns about the company's food safety practices and quality control [1][2]. Group 1: Incident Details - A customer, Ms. Chen, reported finding a live maggot in a fried chicken leg purchased from Wallace, which caused her significant distress [1]. - The customer initially received unsatisfactory responses from the restaurant, including an offer of a replacement chicken leg and a compensation of 100 yuan, which she rejected [2]. - The restaurant staff claimed that the chicken legs were freshly marinated and fried, and they expressed confusion about how a maggot could have been present [3][4]. Group 2: Company Background - Wallace, under Huashi Food, operates a large number of outlets, with 19,729 stores across 31 provinces and 357 cities as of June 2025, making it a major player in the fast-food industry [5]. - The company employs a low-price strategy, which has led to rapid expansion but has also resulted in consistently low profit margins, with a gross margin of 5.33% in 2023, up from 4.24% in 2022, but still below the industry average of 10% to 20% [8]. Group 3: Food Safety Issues - Wallace has faced multiple food safety issues in recent years, including incidents of expired ingredients being used and unsanitary conditions in kitchens [9][11]. - Previous reports have documented serious violations, such as the use of fake health certificates by staff and unsanitary kitchen conditions, leading to regulatory actions and fines [12][13].