What has the world come to when you can't even trust in the quality of a Big Mac?

On Thursday McDonald's signature hamburger remained unavailable at many of the chain's restaurants in Shanghai, along with much of the rest of its menu.

The fast-food giant temporarily reduced its offerings this week after the city government opened an investigation into one of its suppliers, Shanghai Husi Food Co, for food safety violations.

The Shanghai Food and Drug Administration said Saturday that the meat processor forged production dates on 4,396 cases of beef patties that expired in February and later sold 3,030 of the cases.

Shanghai police took five people from Shanghai Husi into custody for questioning, the Xinhua News Agency reported on July 23.

The investigation was triggered by a report on Shanghai DragonTV that found evidence that the company reprocessed expired meat and committed other health and safety violations.

Shanghai Husi, a unit of US-based OSI Group, was a supplier to many of the most prominent fast-food chains in China, such as KFC, Pizza Hut and Starbucks.

The Shanghai Husi investigation was just the latest in a seemingly ceaseless series of food safety scandals in China. This latest incident has had the distinction of having an immediate effect on most of the famous Western fast-food chains in the city.

McDonald's restaurants in Shanghai and elsewhere in the country posted notices on their cash registers explaining their limited menu.

Although much of the attention has focused on the fast-food chains, the scandal shows the ongoing problem regulators have had ensuring the quality of the food supply.

Curious as always, we took a break from looking for a new burger joint to talk with some of the city's expats about food safety in Shanghai.

Katie, marketing, the US

I've been in Shanghai for seven years, so I'm familiar with China's food safety record. It's everywhere. It's in the news. You can't really avoid it.

I try to avoid street food and bad oil. I'm also a vegetarian, so I'm a little bit sensitive about what I eat anyway. I have a sensitive stomach so I want to avoid recycled oil. Still, things in Shanghai have gotten so much better over the last seven years - anything better than before is an improvement! I have a lot of friends in the food and beverage industry who own and manage restaurants, so I stick to places I know.

Ludovico, lawyer, Italy

I know some things about the food safety situation here. I know that China, actually, is trying to improve food safety and has passed several regulations on this matter. I think there is still room for improvement, based on the recent cases with McDonald's and stuff like that, but I think that China is moving in the right direction.

Food safety is something that I care about, but in general I've never suffered from food in Shanghai; whether eaten in a restaurant or on the street. Generally speaking, I don't eat at McDonald's because I don't like fast food … but in this (spoiled meat) case, McDonald's reacted quickly. They care about safety and they tried to control it when they found something wasn't okay. They intervened. After this case, I think people who like McDonald's can still enjoy eating there.

Anais Mesnil, student, France

I heard recently about what happened with McDonald's, KFC and Pizza Hut. I've heard that in small Chinese restaurants they reuse a lot of food. And also, sometimes, when you go to a small Chinese restaurant, and you order pork or lamb and it doesn't taste at all like it should, you wonder what it is.

I'm pretty scared. I don't eat a lot of meat here. I eat a lot of fruit and vegetables. But I guess they are also full of pesticides, so I know I take a risk each time I go out to eat.

I think that in most of the small Chinese restaurants, the meat is not the kind of meat they say it is, or they reuse the oil. In a way, it's a little bit sad because if I don't go to the small Chinese restaurants then I miss part of China. So when I eat, I know I take risks, maybe, but in some ways I don't want to miss out. I'm in China, so I don't just want to go to foreign restaurants.

Maybe I'll only be in China for a year or two years, but I think that if I stayed for a longer time, it would be risky. For me, right now, it's all right. There are things I eat that maybe I shouldn't eat and might be a little bit dangerous, but I think, OK, in six months, I'm moving back to France.

Brendan Oldham, student, the US

I heard about the McDonald's story. Prior to this, I'd just assumed that food safety wasn't very good here, but I didn't know any specifics. Coming to China, I knew that food could be kind of hit-or-miss and you had to be careful about it, but I don't think this has really affected my behavior in any way. I know there are things I should avoid more, like street vendors selling meat. I've also heard that you should be careful with raw vegetables in more "local" places; but I don't think I've really done anything about it, although it's something that I know is an issue.

I think I'm more reluctant to go to McDonald's - I used to go there somewhat frequently, but now I've toned it down a little bit just because the quality reports have concerned me.

I used to go there fairly often for breakfast in the morning, for instance, but now instead I go to Starbucks and get a muffin.

Mona Dara, consulate worker, Sweden

So far, I've been here for five months. I try to watch what I eat. And I haven't been sick so far, so I feel quite safe in Shanghai when it comes to food. I think you just have to be smart about how you choose what and where you eat.

I try to avoid street food. But other than that, I'll eat almost anywhere that looks good and comes with a good recommendation.

There is just so much to choose from that I never feel like I am compromising. It makes my choice easier because it automatically eliminates some places.

Aaron Perez, restaurant manager, Mexico

I heard about the company that was selling stuff to McDonald's, like expired beef. Actually, I have been in China for almost seven years and I've been working in the food industry for six and a half years. From the time that I arrived in China to now, there has been a big, big improvement in every way. At the beginning, when I came, (the government) was very strict with foreign restaurants. But I also had some friends who had Chinese restaurants or were Chinese, and they could do a lot of things we could not. But now, it has become more and more strict for everyone.

About the food that I eat, I don't worry so much. Usually, if I taste it and I think it's not good, I will not eat it.

Chrissi Lewandowski (right), teacher, the US

I love to cook so I worry about food safety - I wash everything and I try to buy from good stores where things aren't just sitting out in the open. But safety also depends on how you prepare things at home. I'm in charge of my cooking. I know what I've done with it, versus being in a restaurant where you have to hope that everyone is washing their hands and preparing the food nicely!

Sarah Bouwer (left), teacher, the US

I heard of the McDonald's scandal and I also remember the fake eggs from last year. I try to choose my restaurants carefully and make a lot of my own meals. I look at the safety signs - the smiley face, the sad face or the face with a straight line - and listen to recommendations from friends. Our neighbors are really good too about telling us where to eat and also where to buy fruit and vegetables.

Ulrike Bronner, architect, Austria

Ulrike Bronner, architect, Austria

Shortly after we arrived, the pigs in the Huangpu River were a big topic. Now, it is the meat scandal at basically all of the chain restaurants. It's always something. I do worry about what I eat, but I guess I'm too lazy to cook for myself and make sure that I eat healthy foods.

In general, I don't like fast food that much, so I don't go there. But at the restaurants I go to, I never talk to the chefs about where they get their stuff from. I think I can at least taste the difference with low-quality food, and I won't eat it. I'm glad I know I won't be living here forever. I don't feel that I am completely at the mercy of this situation.

I do think everyone can make an impact and contribute to a healthier environment. Actually, in the office we do several projects for an organic farm in China.

Global Times