South African Food Entrepreneur Accuses KFC of Stealing

Fast food giant KFC has dismissed claims by a South African entrepreneur accusing the company of stealing his idea of a local dish known as kota, local media report. Romeo Malepe accuses KFC of appropriating his idea of a chicken kota that the fast food chain is launching. Kota, also known locally as Sphatlo, is a big sandwich with multiple ingredients stuffed into a quarter loaf of bread, wrapped and eaten on the go. Mr Malepe told a local publication that his idea for a “Streetwise Kota” was stolen while looking for a partnership with the chain. Mr Malepe is also said to have taken to social media recently to condemn the fast-food chain for allegedly taking his idea which he said he developed four years ago. But KFC has denied the claims in a statement to South African media, saying it was “no secret that kota is a famous South African meal and the limited-edition KFC Sphatlho is a result of an internal product development process”.
SOURCE: BBC