KFC… WTF?
No Joke – No Bun
At first I thought it was a joke. On April 11, 2010 I saw the above image on the KFC website, complete with live countdown to launch day.
Unfortunately, I was sadly mistaken. On April 12, 2010, KFC launched the newest addition to their arsenal of chicken “meals” — the KFC Double Down Sandwich. With two, that’s right, two white meat chicken filets coated in the Colonel’s secret batter, two pieces of bacon, two slices of cheese (Monterey Jack and pepper jack) all topped off with the Colonel’s Sauce…and NO bun.
Most Successful Test Item in KFC History
Who needs a bun when you’ve got 2 slabs of chicken to hang onto and cheese holding it all together. According to their website, this thing “generated more buzz than any test market item in KFC history”. It has now been unleashed at all KFC locations across America. Thankfully, for the sake of the Canadian population, that is where it will remain…at least for now.
Calories + Sodium + Fat = Double (Thumbs) Down
This “little” sucker weighs in at 540 calories, 32 grams of fat and a whopping 1380 mg of sodium. Eat some potato wedges with that and you’ve catapulted yourself over your recommended daily allowance for sodium of 1500 mg to a killer 2120 mg and 45 grams of fat – 75% of the daily allowance for total fat, of which 12.5 grams are saturated fat – over half the daily allowance. Imagine how much sodium and fat you would be ingesting if you counted everything else you ate the day you indulged yourself in one of these? This can only help to put you on the fast track to heart disease and diabetes.
Obesity – On the Increase
Who really thinks this is necessary in this day and age when, according to the Childhood Obesity Foundation of Canada over 26% of Canadian children and youth aged 2 – 17 are considered overweight or obese. These rates have almost tripled over the last 25 years. If this trend continues, in the next 20 years it’s possible that 70% of the 35 – 44 year olds in Canada will be overweight or obese. That is one alarming and sad statistic!
Even more alarming is that in America, 66% of adults are seriously overweight or obese2, one in five youth are obese and one in three are overweight3.
The rate of diabetes has nearly doubled over the past decade. Imagine what the next 20 years could bring?
You know something is going on when The Gap and Old Navy are selling plus-sized clothes for youth.
The Ingredient(?) List Book
You may think you’re making a wiser choice by picking the KFC Chicken Pot Pie perhaps. However, you may be surprised to learn that It tips the scales at 690 calories, 40 grams of fat – 31 grams of which are saturated fat. If that’s not enough to make your heart start racing, consider the ingredient list of this meal, (as taken from KFC’s website) that’s simply bathing in MSG (monosodium glutamate). Just how much of this stuff do you need in one piece of food?
Chicken Stock, Carrots, Potatoes (With Sodium Acid Pyrophosphate To Protect Color), Peas, Heavy Cream, Modified Food Starch, Contains 2% Or Less Of Wheat Flour, Salt, Chicken Fat, Dried Dairy Blend (Whey, Calcium Caseinate), Butter (Cream, Salt), Natural Chicken Flavor With Other Natural Flavors (Salt, Natural Flavoring, Maltodextrin, Milk Solids, Nonfat Dry Milk, Chicken Fat, Beef Extract, Ascorbic Acid [To Help Protect Flavor]), Monosodium Glutamate, Liquid Margarine (Vegetable Oil Blend [Liquid Soybean, Hydrogenated Cottonseed, Hydrogenated Soybean], Water, Vegetable Mono And Diglycerides, Beta Carotene [Color]), Roasted Garlic Juice Flavor (Garlic Juice, Salt, Natural Flavors), Gelatin, Roasted Onion Juice Flavor (Onion Juice, Salt, Natural Flavors), Chicken Pot Pie Flavor (Hydrolyzed Corn, Soy And Wheat Gluten Protein, Salt, Vegetable Stock [Carrot, Onion, Celery], Maltodextrin, Partially Hydrogenated Soybean Oil, Flavors, Dextrose, Chicken Broth), Chicken Stock, Sugar, Mono and Diglycerides With Citric Acid to Protect Flavor, Spice, Seasoning (Soybean Oil, Oleoresin Turmeric, Spice Extractives), Parsley, Citric Acid, Caramel Color, Yellow 5. Enriched Flour Bleached (Wheat Flour, Niacin, Ferrous Sulfate, Thiamin Mononitrate, Riboflavin, Folic Acid), Hydrogenated Palm Kernel Oil, Water, Nonfat Milk, Maltodextrin, Salt, Dextrose, Sugar, Whey, Natural Flavor, Butter, Citric Acid, Dough Conditioner, L-Cysteine Hydrochloride, Potassium Sorbate and Sodium Benzoate (Preservatives), Colored With Yellow 5 & Red 40. Fresh Chicken Marinated With: Salt, Sodium Phosphate and Monosodium Glutamate. Breaded With: Wheat Flour, Salt, Spices, Monosodium Glutamate, Leavening (Sodium Bicarbonate), Garlic Powder, Natural Flavorings, Citric Acid, Maltodextrin, Sugar, Corn Syrup Solids, With Not More Than 2% Calcium Silicate Added as an Anti Caking Agent OR Fresh Chicken Marinated With: Salt, Sodium Phosphate and Monosodium Glutamate. Breaded With: Wheat Flour, Salt, Spices, Monosodium Glutamate, Corn Starch, Leavening (Sodium Bicarbonate), Garlic Powder, Modified Corn Starch, Spice Extractives, Citric Acid, and 2% Calcium Silicate added as Anticaking Agent OR Fresh Chicken Marinated With: Salt, Sodium Phosphate and Monosodium Glutamate. Breaded With: Wheat Flour, Sodium Chloride and Anti-caking Agent (Tricalcium Phosphate), Nonfat Milk, Egg Whites, Colonel’s Secret Original Recipe Seasoning OR Potato Starch, Sodium Phosphate, Salt, Breaded With: Wheat Flour, Sodium Chloride and Anti-caking agent (Tricalcium Phosphate), Nonfat Milk, Egg Whites, Colonel’s Secret Original Recipe Seasoning OR Potato Starch, Sodium Phosphate, Salt, Breaded With: Wheat Flour, Salt, Spices, Monosodium Glutamate, Leavening (Sodium Bicarbonate), Garlic Powder, Natural Flavorings, Citric Acid, Maltodextrin, Sugar, Corn Syrup Solids, With Not More Than 2% Calcium Silicate Added as an Anti Caking Agent OR Potato Starch, Sodium Phosphate, Salt, Breaded With: Wheat Flour, Salt, Spices, Monosodium Glutamate, Corn Starch, Leavening (Sodium Bicarbonate), Garlic Powder, Modified Corn Starch, Spice Extractives, Citric Acid, and 2% Calcium Silicate Added As Anticaking Agent OR Seasoning (Salt, Monosodium Glutamate, Garlic Powder, Spice Extractives, Onion Powder), Soy Protein Concentrate, Rice Starch and Sodium Phosphates. Battered With: Water, Wheat Flour, Leavening (Sodium Acid Pyrophosphate, Sodium Bicarbonate, Monocalcium Phosphate), Salt, Dextrose, Monosodium Glutamate, Spice and Onion Powder. Predusted With: Wheat Flour, Wheat Gluten, Salt, Dried Egg Whites, Leavening (Sodium Acid Pyrophosphate, Sodium Bicarbonate), Monosodium Glutamate, Spice and Onion Powder. Breaded With: Wheat Flour, Salt, Soy Flour, Leavening (Sodium Acid Pyrophosphate, Sodium Bicarbonate), Monosodium Glutamate, Spice, Nonfat Dry Milk, Onion Powder, Dextrose, Extractives of Turmeric and Extractives of Annatto. Breading Set in Vegetable oil. Contains Egg, Milk, Wheat and Soy.
Phew, I’m exhausted! Just imagine how you’ll feel after eating all this!?
Salivating?
If that doesn’t have you salivating, how about a side order of KFC® Gizzards or KFC® Livers? Mmmmmm…… (Yes, these are REAL products KFC offers in the USA.)
What Do You Think?
Tell me what you think of the new KFC Double Down… ummmm… sandwich.
Footnotes:
2. Ogden C, et al. “Prevalence of Overweight and Obesity in the United States, 1999-2004.” Journal of the American Medical Association 2006, vol. 295, pp. 1549-1555.
3. Ogden, C, et al. “High Body Mass Index for Age among US Children and Adolescents, 2003-2006.” Journal of the American Medical Association 2008, vol. 299, pp. 2401-2405.
This is revolting and wrong on so many levels. It baffles my mind that they might actually have a “market” for these. I can’t even imagine all the chemicals, antibiotics, GMO’s and growth hormones that went into this piece of trash. I’m with you…..WTF????
Makes me wretch. Top ALL of that off with where the chicken actually comes from and what they feed that bird you are eating. KFC has been chastised for years over this and I promise you they have done nothing about it. Top ALL of that off with the antibiotics, hormones, and fat (yes extra fat gets injected into these birds) and you could literally probably sit and watch the veins in your arms change color as you eat.
It should be outlawed.. along with Swiss Chalet.