reference list

Guyanet, S. (2013). Book Review: Salt, Sugar, Fat. Retrieved from     http://wholehealthsource.blogspot.co.nz/2013/04/book-review-salt-sugar-fat.html

Martin, S. (2012). Monika Samaan, KFC Suit Awarded 48 Million Compensation for Salmonella
     Chicken. Retrieved from
      www.christianpost.com/news/monika-samaan-kfc-suit-awarded-8-million-compensation-
      for-salmonella-chicken-74080/

The Toxic Ingredients in KFC Food. (2012). Retrieved September 10, 2013, from
     http://www.organiccommonsense.com/organic/the-toxic-ingredients-in-kfc-foods/

 Thomas, D. (2009). Leicester Square KFC faces 13 food hygiene charges. Retrieved from
     www.catererandhotelkeeper.co.uk/Articles/2009/10/29/330646/leicester-square-kfc-faces-13
     -food-hygiene-charges.html

What exactly is MSG?. (2013). Retrieved September 10, 2013, from
     http://www.msgtruth.org/whatisit.htm

Links

Here is a list of all links I have included. Peruse it at your leisure:)

Unhealthy KFC

The Toxic Ingredients in KFC Foods

Sodium Nitrate in meat: A heart disease risk factor?

What exactly is MSG?

Obesity key facts and statistics

Obesity

Book Review: Salt, Sugar, Fat


Calorie Counter


Sick to Death of KFC?

Leicester Square KFC faces 13 Food Hygiene charges

KFC food poisoning tragedy


Monika Samaan, KFC Suit Awarded $8 Million Compensation for Salmonella chicken

What could be done?

1.Harsher Food Service Inspections
All K.F.C's that score poorly on food service inspections, or are found to be dangerously unsanitary, should be closed down.

2.Health warnings
should be added to all food items. These should list all ingredients, included added chemicals such as msg, and the amount of saturated fats, salt and sugar. While some people may ignore these, like the health warnings on cigarette packs, it would be helpful for customers to know exactly what is in their food. However, this would make people think twice about their eating habits, or at least cut down on the amount of K.F.C they consume.

However, the best preventative measure would be for everybody to start cooking their own food or ordering healthier takeaway options. Hopefully one day places like K.F.C will become obsolete and the world will be a healthier place.

Chicken pita, from Pita Pit

                                       

Hygiene

This blog has already established that K.F.C is fattening, but it's also unhygienic.
A worker at a K.F.C in the U.S, recalls that the managers would order more chicken than they thought they would need, so as not to run out. The chicken arrived frozen and had to be thawed out. However, because when the chicken was left to thaw for too long it would become hard, green and foul-smelling. The managers insisted on cooking and serving this rancid chicken, although it smelt so bad the workers had to cover their noses while cooking it.


Health Complaints

There have been many complaints from customers, about the unhygienic conditions of K.F.C restaurants. Items such as worms, bloody bandages, acrylic fingernails, cockroaches and pieces of plastic have been found in their food. There are also numerous reports of restaurants serving uncooked chicken, and workers preparing and serving food without gloves.

 Food Poisoning tragedy

In 2005, a seven year old Australian girl called Monika Samaan  was left brain damaged from eating a K.F.C chicken twister. Monika's whole family caught salmonella from the tainted chicken and Monika, who had eaten the most, became so sick she was hospitalized for several months. She is now fourteen and has to use a wheelchair to get around and cannot talk. K.F.C were ordered to pay eight million dollars in damages and legal costs, to Monika's family. This was one of  Australia's biggest single person injury payouts.
                                

A BIG Problem

                                                                    

  

 Over the past few decades New Zealand has experienced a rise in obesity, as has the rest of the world. The 2008/09 New Zealand adult nutrition survey found that 37.8% of adults were considered overweight ( BMI <25) and 27% were considered obese( BMI <30).
The 2006/07 New Zealand health survey found that 20.9% of children were overweight and 8.9% were obese. In both these surveys Maori and Pacific Islanders were overrepresented, as were people living in low socioeconomic areas.


Being obese brings many health risks, including type 2 diabetes, arthritis, heart disease, certain types of cancer, breathing difficulties, fertility problems, high blood pressure, and psychological problems.

Causes
The main cause of obesity, put simply, is an imbalance between food intake and energy expenditure. The accessibility of highly-processed, calorific foods is a significant factor. Enter K.F.C. With it's relatively cheap, quick and easy food it has become a popular meal option. Many people don't have time to cook, particularly now that most families have two working parents. Although there are healthier takeaway options, such as Subway and Pita Pit, it's surprising that K.F.C remains so popular. It's popularity is most likely down to it;s large quantities of salt, sugar and fat. Humans are naturally more receptive to these flavours, as they were the most important for survival during evolution. However in our modern world, humans don't need such large quantities of these and they do more harm than good.
 

 Calorie Content
 The recommended daily calorie intake is 1940 for women, and 2550 for men. When people who aren't doing an intense exercise regime exceed this number, the excess calories are stored as excess fat. Foods such as K.F.C, which have very high calorie counts in comparison to size, are the most dangerous. Just one chicken drumstick contains 160 calories. It's unlikely that somebody would order just one drumstick, they would probably also order some sides and a soft drink.

Imagine somebody ordered two chicken drumsticks, a medium chips, and a large potato and gravy. In total this meal would contain 1970 calories. This is already more than the recomended daily intake for a woman.

It would be unfair to say that K.F.C is solely responsible for today's obesity epidemic, but I think we have to consider it a major factor. A label listing the calorie count on all food items would be a good idea, as it would make people think more about what they are eating. Of course some people would continue eating K.F.C regularly, but at least they would be making an informed decision to do so.

It tastes just like chicken!

Expectation

K.F.C  is a massive fast food chain, with over 18,000 outlets. It is widely acknowledged that K.F.C is bad for us, but what exactly is it that makes it so unhealthy?
Although K.F.C does contain some herbs, such as oregano, basil and thyme, the percentage of these is a lot smaller than the unhealthy ingredients.
K.F.C’s chicken batter is mainly sugar, salt, flour, black pepper and Mono-sodium Glutamate. K.F.C's food also contains many other chemicals, including high-fructose corn syrup and Sodium Nitrate, both of which are thought to increase cancer risks.

 Sodium Nitrate
NaNo3  is a preservative which is often used in processed meats. It can cause heart disease, by narrowing arteries and making them more likely to harden. Nitrates also interfere with the bodies ability to produce insulin, meaning they can increase a person's risk of developing diabetes. In addition, researchers at the University of Hawaii and Harvard University have found that sodium nitrate can increase a person's risk of developing Pancreatic cancer and Leukemia. However, there is another more harmful ingredient.




 Mono-sodium Glutamate

MSG is a flavour enhancing chemical, which basically tricks people into thinking their food tastes nicer than it does. Chemically, it is made up of approximately 78 % free Glutamic acid, 21 % Sodium and up to 1% percent contaminants. MSG is an excitotoxin, meaning it overexcites brain cells to the point of damage or death. This can lead to learning disabilities, or the onset of Alzheimer's or Parkinson's disease.

Reality

Hormones

K.F.C inject their chickens with lots of antibiotics and hormones, to accelerate the growth. These hormones not only leave the chickens deformed and sick, but also make their way into the bodies of customers.

Bon appetit!

Exposing K.F.C

Colonel Sander, K.F.C's founder

Hello fellow bloggers,
In this blog I am going to examine K.F.C and why it should come with a health warning, the way cigarettes do. I am going to look at the ingredients of K.F.C, compare it to other, similar franchises and talk about the negative effects it has on society.
There are several reasons why I chose K.F.C, as opposed to any other fast food establishment. McDonald's has been scrutinized many times already, for example 'Super-size me', and I think it's time K.F.C is looked at more closely. A few years ago it was targeted by PETA, for it's unethical treatment of  chickens, which was one of the reasons why I stopped eating their food. I realize there are many other fast food restaurants that are just as bad, but as K.F.C is a major enterprise I feel it has more of an effect on the world.
I hope you all enjoy my blog and learn something new.