Did a KFC customer receive a deep fried rat?

An image of what appears to be a battered rat on top of a KFC box is spreading across social media.

The image (above), that was originally uploaded by a Facebook account under the name Devorise Dixon, shows a suspiciously shaped food item that appears to have both a body and tail that Devorise claimed to have been served in a KFC outlet in the US. It was posted along with the following caption –

As I bit into it I noticed that it was very hard and rubbery which made me look at it. As I looked down at it I noticed that it was was in a shape of a rat with a tail.
It sent deep chills throughout my whole body! I’ve been feeling weird ever since. It’s time for a lawyer, be safe don’t eat fast food!

But does the image really show the battered carcass of a genuine rat?

The jury is out, and if past precedence has any say, it is probably rather doubtful. Rumours about KFC serving rats – either intentionally or by accident – have been spreading between person to person since the 70s, long pre-dating the Internet, and have practically made their way into classic urban folklore with countless versions that rarely seem to hold any weight.

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More rumours, such as the popular “battered chicken head” claim and a 2014 fake news story claiming that KFC have silently added rat to the menu have all done the social media rounds from time to time.

But these may do nothing to either discredit or confirm this particular story. Despite Devorise’s insistent claims that the foodstuff in front of him is actually a rat, KFC have claimed through their social media channels that he has not come forward to present the item for inspection, thus it cannot be discounted that it is actually just chicken tender that has morphed into a somewhat inconvenient shape, nor can it be confirmed that the item wasn’t deliberately created or modified to look like what it is claimed to be. Nor can it even be confirmed the product was even purchased at a KFC store.

A tweet that was posted by the KFC account at the time of writing reads –

Our tenders vary in size/shape & we have no evidence to support this. We continue to try and reach this customer to investigate.

Should the story be false, this would hardly be the first time someone has used social media to try and discredit a particular brand. In fact these “tainted product” rumours circulate all the time. Coca Cola and Dr. Pepper continually face the “disgruntled worker taints products with HIV virus” rumour and McDonalds have faced a variety of spurious claims including the assertion they use worm meat and even human flesh in their burgers.

If Devorise Dixon does decide to present his case to KFC, or if it does indeed go to some sort of court case or settlement, then maybe we can find our answer to the legitimacy of the claim, but until then we cannot know either way.

We will keep this article updated with future developments.