KFC's parent company Yum Brands and McDonald's apologized to customers after it was discovered that their food supplier used meat that had dropped onto the factory floor and mixed in fresh meat with expired food.

On Sunday, Shanghai Husi Food Co. was shut down by local regulators after local Chinese station Dragon TV revealed that it was mishandling food and using unsanitary practices. Subsequently, McDonald's and Yum Brands, which owns KFC, Pizza Hut and Taco Bell, apologized to customers, reports Gawker. Furthermore, McDonald's and Yum, a fast-food conglomerate based in Louisville, Kentucky, promised to cut ties with the Chinese food supplier.

"The companies said they immediately stopped using the supplier, Shanghai Husi Food Co Ltd, a unit of Aurora, Illinois-based OSI Group, and had switched to alternatives. They added that the factory served restaurants in the Shanghai area," reports Reuters.

"We will not tolerate any violations of government laws and regulations from our suppliers," said Yum China.

"If proven, the practices outlined in the reports are completely unacceptable to McDonald's anywhere in the world," a China-based spokeswoman for McDonald's told Reuters. The spokeswoman added that Husi provided McDonald's with chicken, beef and lettuce.

"I think this is going to be really challenging for both these firms," said Benjamin Cavender, Shanghai-based principal at China Market Research Group. "I don't know that this is something an apology can fix so easily, because at this point people don't have a whole lot of trust that they have good systems in place," he added.

Back in 2012, KFC and McDonalds suffered from another food scandal when it was discovered that their food supplier in China was selling chicken pumped up with excessive amounts of antibiotics.