Yum says to step up check on suppliers after China scare

Yum Brands Inc will tighten its monitoring of suppliers and improve testing of poultry as it aims to reverse a steep drop in business at its KFC restaurants in China after a chicken safety scare.

In a statement ahead of a media briefing in Beijing on Monday, the company also said it would look to improve its communications with the Chinese government and people in the wake of the scare.

Diners began avoiding Yum's nearly 5,300, mostly KFC, restaurants in December after news reports and government investigations in China focused on chemical residue found in a small portion of its chicken supply.

The company was not fined by China food safety authorities.

(Reporting by Beijing newsroom; Writing by Jonathan Standing; Editing by Ryan Woo)