YUM BRANDS INC

Current report

Food safety and food- or beverage-borne illness concerns may have an adverse effect on our business and/or our growth prospects.

Current report

Food or beverage-borne illnesses (that can be caused by food-borne pathogens such as E. coli, Listeria, Salmonella, Cyclospora and Trichinosis) and food safety issues (such as food tampering and contamination including with respect to allergens or adulteration) have occurred and may occur within our system from time to time. For example, in July 2026, there was a multistate outbreak of Cyclospora and Taco Bell U.S. removed certain lettuce from its nationwide supply chain that was later recalled by its vendor. Any report linking our or our Concepts’ franchisees’ restaurants, our suppliers or distributors or otherwise involving the types of products used at our restaurants, or linking our competitors, suppliers, distributors or the retail food industry generally, to instances of food- or beverage-borne illness or food safety issues or substances having perceived health or environmental risks have resulted and could result in adverse publicity and otherwise adversely affect us and lead to consumer complaints, litigation and/or governmental investigations. There is also a risk that we or our Concepts’ franchisees’ restaurants, suppliers or distributors underreport food safety incidents or system failures, which could hinder response and tracking of such risks. Moreover, our Concepts’ restaurants' reliance on third-party food suppliers and distributors and increasing reliance on food delivery aggregators may increase the risk that food- or beverage-borne illness incidents and food safety issues could be caused by factors outside of our control. If a customer is believed to have become ill from food or beverage-borne illnesses or as a result of food safety issues, remediation efforts could include temporary closure of restaurants, which could disrupt our operations and adversely affect our reputation, business and/or our growth prospects. The occurrence of food-borne pathogens in restaurant products or food safety issues could also adversely affect the price and availability of affected ingredients, which could result in disruptions in our supply chain and/or lower margins for us and our Concepts’ franchisees. In addition, the health and environmental risks of certain ubiquitous substances (including per-and-polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS)) commonly found in packaging have been the subject of increased regulatory scrutiny and lawsuits against us and other restaurant companies.