Updated

KFC has unveiled new quality control measures in China in an effort to rebuild its battered brand after a scandal over misuse of antibiotics by its suppliers to fatten poultry.

KFC said Monday it will strengthen oversight of its suppliers and expand drug testing. It said more than 1,000 small producers used by the company's 25 poultry suppliers have been eliminated from its network.

The company, owned by Yum Brands Inc., says sales in China might fall by as much as 25 percent in the current quarter after state television reported in December that poultry suppliers were using excessive levels of antibiotics to fatten chickens.

KFC is China's biggest fast-food chain with more than 4,000 outlets. China accounts for about 40 percent of KFC's profit.