Yum! responds to dirty ice report

Yum! Brands Inc, owner of the fast-food chain KFC, made its official response to media reports of contaminated ice, saying ice cube contamination in its Chongwenmen store in Beijing was an accident with unknown causes, Nanfang Daily reported Thursday.

China Central Television (CCTV), the country's official State broadcaster, reported that the number of bacterial colonies in ice cubes taken from Zkungfu and KFC stores in Chongwenmen was higher than the national standard.

Ice cube samples from Beijing's Chongwenmen stores had all passed sampling tests in the past as well as sampling tests conducted after the media report, said Su Jingshi, chairman and chief executive of Yum! China.

KFC's sales in the mainland dropped 13 percent year-on-year in June, due to bird flu and a scandal over chicken that contained excessive antibiotics residues, news portal qq.com reported Thursday.