Diet soft drink may or may not kill you, and full flavour soft drink may or may not kill you. Either way: if you’re getting your fix at a fast-food soft drink fountain, there’s a good chance you’re guzzling it down with a side of faecal matter. But maybe only if you’re in the UK!
CNBC reports that investigators from BBC’s “Watchdog” series tested 10 samples each from the ice at U.K. chains of McDonald’s, Burger King, and KFC, and found traces of “faecal coliform” at all three, with “significant” levels at the Burger King and KFC locations.
Faecal coliform is linked to a variety of diseases, and while Burger King and KFC have since released statements expressing dismay and a commitment to better “management and handling of ice,” McDonald’s pointed out that levels found in its ice samples were quite low, and “not reliable indicators of potential health risks.”
That may be true, but the mandate is clear for the paranoid fast food consumer: if you’re not willing to skip soft drink altogether, enjoy your lukewarm beverage with the knowledge that you’re avoiding possibly poop-laced ice.
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