Actions
PETA vs. KFC
There are many different viewpoints on what actions should be taken towards KFC's abusive methods of treatment, but two main sides stand prominent. PETA openly opposes KFC's behavior and has been very adamant about their desire for the franchise to change. Many find the PETA organization to be outlandish and too extreme. With beliefs such as those that animals shouldn't be kept as pets and that the world should completely eliminate animal products from food and clothing, PETA has gained a mockable reputation, causing many to discredit them. They are known to take animal rights too far and some believe that they think animals are valued higher than people. Despite this, PETA’s requests for KFC seem quite equitable. One of their requests is that they demand suppliers to stop using growth hormones and instead focus on the well-being of the chickens themselves Another is to base their program off the “Animal Care Standards” (Nordlinger, 2003, Para. 12). This is an organization that promotes the health and well-being of animals. By basing their operation off this program, the chickens would have more room in their barns and employees would be held more accountable. This seems like a perfectly acceptable idea that is simple enough without taking the proposition to an extreme. They are only suggesting that KFC raise their chickens the natural way, instead of cheating the system, which cripples the birds by their own weight. Instead of embracing the idea, KFC did little to reply to the proposition and blamed PETA for being impractical. KFC still currently denies animal cruelty and ensures their consumers that their chickens are being cared for with the best treatment. However, evidence witnessed from overcrowded barns show otherwise. Instead of improving the conditions which their animals are raised, KFC has been trying to make the consumer forget by developing new menu items. Their newest ad, that can be seen on television or their website, is advertising their new boneless chicken product. Consumers need to remember that no matter how many new entrees that are added onto their menu one ingredient remains the same: cruelty. KFC has not and will not change this "ingredient" unless their sales start to drop. We as consumers need to put pressure on KFC and demand change.
There are many different viewpoints on what actions should be taken towards KFC's abusive methods of treatment, but two main sides stand prominent. PETA openly opposes KFC's behavior and has been very adamant about their desire for the franchise to change. Many find the PETA organization to be outlandish and too extreme. With beliefs such as those that animals shouldn't be kept as pets and that the world should completely eliminate animal products from food and clothing, PETA has gained a mockable reputation, causing many to discredit them. They are known to take animal rights too far and some believe that they think animals are valued higher than people. Despite this, PETA’s requests for KFC seem quite equitable. One of their requests is that they demand suppliers to stop using growth hormones and instead focus on the well-being of the chickens themselves Another is to base their program off the “Animal Care Standards” (Nordlinger, 2003, Para. 12). This is an organization that promotes the health and well-being of animals. By basing their operation off this program, the chickens would have more room in their barns and employees would be held more accountable. This seems like a perfectly acceptable idea that is simple enough without taking the proposition to an extreme. They are only suggesting that KFC raise their chickens the natural way, instead of cheating the system, which cripples the birds by their own weight. Instead of embracing the idea, KFC did little to reply to the proposition and blamed PETA for being impractical. KFC still currently denies animal cruelty and ensures their consumers that their chickens are being cared for with the best treatment. However, evidence witnessed from overcrowded barns show otherwise. Instead of improving the conditions which their animals are raised, KFC has been trying to make the consumer forget by developing new menu items. Their newest ad, that can be seen on television or their website, is advertising their new boneless chicken product. Consumers need to remember that no matter how many new entrees that are added onto their menu one ingredient remains the same: cruelty. KFC has not and will not change this "ingredient" unless their sales start to drop. We as consumers need to put pressure on KFC and demand change.
Consumer's Role
In order to fully advocate change, it is important that we are well informed in all areas of the food we eat. It is vital that we are fully aware of our role as customers. Professor Paul Kaldjian, a food geography teacher at the University of Eau-Claire, stresses the importance of being alert to restaurants' quality and management of food. When interviewed on customer involvement in the production and process of food, he proclaimed, "We need to understand where food is coming from and actually[participate] in that rather than just being treated as and acting like a consumer" (Personal communication, April 17, 2013). Professor Kaldjian believes that it is ultimately up to us to become knowledgeable about the food we eat, instead of just being tricked by fast food companies' false claims. The phrase, "treated as and acting like a consumer," implies that many of us are naive in terms of what we put into our bodies; this needs to change. We need realize that as consumers, we hold great power: the authority to demand humanely raised meat of acceptable quality.
Consumers should start acting as their title and send KFC the message that their abuse has got to stop by boycotting their restaurants. Chickens are animals that feel pain just as much as any other domestic farm animal. They deserve to be handled in a respectful manner before their contribution to the company: death. Consumers need to be informed of the conditions KFC enforces onto to chickens they serve you. Customers are devouring chicken that has been kept in unsanitary conditions, filled with feces and toxic gases, where they are fed harmful genetically modified food, and psychotically tortured before they are being served in KFC restaurants worldwide. Consumers need to ask themselves if this is really the product they should be eating. We need to open our eyes and see the abuse behind the Colonel. By customers boycotting KFC and spreading the word of their abuse, their profits will drop drastically. They will realize they need to change the way they operate their farms in order to gain the trust of their formerly loyal customers back. Until they improve the standard of living for their chickens, KFC cannot campaign their products as being “fresh.”
*Pictured above is an example of five girls expressing their distaste for animal cruelty by boycotting KFC ([Boycott KFC], n.d).
Click here to voice your opinion by writing a letter to KFC, letting them know their cruelty will not be accepted
Consumers should start acting as their title and send KFC the message that their abuse has got to stop by boycotting their restaurants. Chickens are animals that feel pain just as much as any other domestic farm animal. They deserve to be handled in a respectful manner before their contribution to the company: death. Consumers need to be informed of the conditions KFC enforces onto to chickens they serve you. Customers are devouring chicken that has been kept in unsanitary conditions, filled with feces and toxic gases, where they are fed harmful genetically modified food, and psychotically tortured before they are being served in KFC restaurants worldwide. Consumers need to ask themselves if this is really the product they should be eating. We need to open our eyes and see the abuse behind the Colonel. By customers boycotting KFC and spreading the word of their abuse, their profits will drop drastically. They will realize they need to change the way they operate their farms in order to gain the trust of their formerly loyal customers back. Until they improve the standard of living for their chickens, KFC cannot campaign their products as being “fresh.”
*Pictured above is an example of five girls expressing their distaste for animal cruelty by boycotting KFC ([Boycott KFC], n.d).
Click here to voice your opinion by writing a letter to KFC, letting them know their cruelty will not be accepted