Gross! UK Report Finds Fecal Bacteria In Ice At McDonald's, KFC, And Burger King

In June, an undercover investigation found fecal bacteria present in ice at Starbucks, Costa Coffee, and Caffè Nero in the United Kingdom. Now, BBC's Watchdog reveals that coffee chains aren't the only places where you should steer clear of iced drinks.

Fecal bacteria have been found in the ice served at McDonald's, KFC, and Burger King locations in the U.K., the Liverpool Echo reported.

The investigation found that coliform bacteria, which is found in feces, was present in three out of 10 ice samples at McDonald's, six out of 10 from Burger King, and seven out of 10 from KFC.

"It's extremely worrying. When we're finding the sorts of numbers we're finding here, you have to look at the people making the ice, handling the ice, which they then transfer into customers' drinks," Tony Lewis, head of policy and education at the Chartered Institute of Environmental Health, said.

A McDonald's spokesperson told the Echo that hygiene and safety practices are of top priority to the company, which makes ice by freezing drinking water using commercial ice machines; however, according to the U.K.'s Department for Environmental, Food & Rural Affairs, any level of bacteria in drinking water is considered unacceptable.

Spokespeople from KFC and Burger King also commented on the importance of cleaning procedures and the safety of customers and insisted they are taking precautionary measures to uphold high standards.