Wildly popular in Russia during the 1990s, when 250,000 tonnes were imported annually, American chicken legs can’t get a claw hold in urban Russian any more, according to the Washington Post, and are only eaten by poorer people in rural areas, school children and in some fast food restaurants.
A media campaign raised the spectre of antibiotics, hormones and consumer complaints about the water content. For the first nine months of this year, American chicken couldn’t even get into the country because Russia banned the chlorine disinfectant American processors use. Even Rustik’s-KFC, a 161-store chain bought out by Yum Brands Inc., of Louisville, Ky., claims to use only Russian chicken, according to The Post.