Editor's Note:

Are you up on what the hundreds of millions of Chinese netizens are talking about? Take a moment and get the rundown of what's hot, what's trending, and what's drawing the most buzz on the Chinese blogosphere.

Fast-food chain ice cubes are dirty: report 

The amount of bacteria in ice cubes served at KFC is 13 times higher than that found in toilet water, according to a China Central Television (CCTV) report on Saturday that has prompted some people to boycott the fast-food chain.

CCTV tested ice cubes from three fast-food restaurants in Beijing: KFC, McDonald's and Zkungfu. It said that the amount of bacteria in the ice cubes all exceeded national standards, with KFC's measuring 13 times higher than the amount of bacteria in toilet water, and Zkungfu testing six times higher, respectively.

Xinhua reported Sunday that KFC apologized for the claim and said that it would look into the case. The other two restaurants had not publicly responded by press time.

Web users are disgusted at the results, with some refusing to order drinks with ice anymore, while some asserted never to eat at KFC again.

 "Cell phones, toothbrushes, towels and now even ice cubes are dirtier than what's found in a toilet bowl. I guess that makes toilets the cleanest thing in the world," Sina Weibo user Weicheng David said, recalling similar tests on commodities.

Web users said that the latest findings reveal systemic problems with food safety in China, questioning why restaurants continue to get away with failing to meet standards.

 "This isn't the first time KFC has had problematic food issues, which appear to happen more infrequently abroad; these problems haven't prevented KFC from expanding in China because the food safety standards here are too low," Sina Weibo user xiao dee'er said. "Just because we've been exposed to all sorts of containments and gutter oil doesn't mean we should be tortured with more bad food."

But others were critical of the report, saying that CCTV tried to prime the story through word choice by using toilet water instead of tap water, which are the same, the users said. Some added that the method used to test the samples may have influenced the results and might not be reliable.

Global Times