12-12-2012, 03:03 PM
Ethical report of KFC and its problems
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Kentucky Fried Chicken is one of the well-known fast food restaurants in the world. The industry was founded by Colonel Sanders. The corporation is based in Louisville, Kentucky and now regarded as the most famous chicken restaurant chain. It can be noted that each day, nearly eight million customers avails the products and foods offered by this fast food chain.There are many ethical issues that an organisation face and one of the organisations which faces major issue is the Kentucky Fried Chicken. In my report, I would analysis about the issue faced by KFC and the ethical problems that the company encounters.
ETHICS DILEMMAS FACING BY KFC
KFC is among the most popular fast food brands in the world. Started out in the fifties, KFC now boasts of operating, franchising, and serving a worldwide chain of around 11,000 fast food restaurants that prepare, package and sell a menu of ready to eat foods. However, despite of the established brand of KFC Corporation and contrary to its previous achievements; it seems that there is a need for the management to redefine its image.
Provide Greasy Unhealthy Food
The growing and bustling population of today is obviously different from the population of the previous decades in terms of health and nutritional attitudes and behaviours. People today are more concerned with their health and figures than ever before. Obviously, the reason for this increased awareness is because of the fact that information is everywhere and every reports and research about nutrition seem to link fast foods with the growing number of obesity. Being one of the most popular fast food restaurants and with millions of people patronising the products and foods offered by the company, it is important the company adheres to ethical standards specifically in terms of providing healthy foods. However, it has been observed that KFC is using oil which contains Tran's fatty acids and contain in monosodium glutamate, which is MSG. This is noted to increase cholesterol and even increased the risk of having heart disease and obesity. As authorities discovered this, the case was being carried over by the consumer group Centre for Science in the Public Interest and told the company to use healthier cooking products than the one they are using. Gram for gram, they are believed to be twice as damaging as saturated fat. The Nutrition Action Healthletter, published by the Centre for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI), reported in 1997 that in clinical studies Tran's fat raised people's blood cholesterol about as much as saturated fat did. Because trans-fatty acids are not listed on food labels, they are invisible to consumers. With the negative effect of this to the people, KFC has been faced with problems in terms of following business ethics and finding ways to find solutions to these kinds of issue.
Protests by PETA
KFC is the world's largest chicken fast-food chain in the world with more than 9900 stores at an average annual consumption of nearly 800 million chickens in all over the world. In order to reduce costs, KFC chicken suppliers kept the chickens in overcrowded cages and given drug to urging their growth so that they are usually too heavy and can't even walk. In year 2003, PETA organization (Association of Ethical Treatment of Animals) found a video exposing KFC supplier abuse chickens by cruel trick and this immediately aroused public attention. In the video can see the staff do anything to abuse the chicken, they often cut off their wings, slamming them to the wall, punched them as sandbags, kicked them as football. At slaughter, the chicken' throats are slit and dropped into tanks of scalding-hot water while they are still conscious. They abuse the chickens alive to death and then gave to outlet frying as delicious fried chicken serve all around the world.
Advertisement Mislead
Nowadays, advertising communication play a importance role in our society. As we all know, fast food is high fat and calorie food, cellulose content is low, long-term consumption will lead to obesity, endangering the liver and other organs healthy. But fast-food ads never mentioned these issues, always promoted eating fast food is a modern lifestyle and fashionable, the food is fresh and tasty, nutrition and health. This is a food culture and lifestyle misleading from advertising, especially to young people and children.
In 2003 autumn, KFC played "health card" at TV ad, saying that Kentucky Fried Chicken "has the human body the necessary carbohydrates, is a daily non-integral part of the menu." This ad exaggerated the Kentucky Fried Chicken features, many people discontent into this broadcast, the U.S. Federal Trade Commission specifically to this investigation. Under pressure from all sides, soon KFC company take off this advertisement. In this year July, ASA (Advertising Standards Authority), found that the U.S. KFC have an ad misleading consumers think that the fresh chicken is on daily basis delivered to every KFC outlets, this suspected of misleading to consumers. Advertising content shows a young chef side of a chicken sprinkled with flour, says: "I want to cook the most delicious food, secret is use the correct materials, like this fresh chicken". Ad adds the narration: "Kentucky Fried Chicken, fresh meat. Every store, Every day." But the ASA found that KFC chicken are delivered to each stores three times per week, it was decided shall not broadcast the ad, unless modified.
SOLUTION
There is no doubt that business ethics plays a more and more important role in modern economy. The right thing to do isn't always clear in business (1990). Thus the company needs some common principles to guide the behaviours. It is much easier for a company with good moral conducts to build its reputation and win respect from all aspects of a society. KFC has already gained the reputation of a fast food that continuously provides greasy unhealthy food, so it needs to do something about and shift its positive image back.
Provide Healthy Product
The traditional ethical stance of the company is to prevent actual problems on health and nutrition. However, there is an obvious lack for long term plans that will also maintain these developments even in years to come. KFC company should realize that their does not only have a responsibility to their current customers but to future generations as well. The scope of responsibility as cited in this discussion should include the provision of respect for others, honest and pure intentions as well as protection from harm. The management of KFC should be responsible in maintaining that healthy and nutritional foods which future generations will need as well so as to survive. Nowadays, people are more concerned with their health and figures than ever before. Obviously, the reason for this increased awareness is because of the fact that information is everywhere and every reports and research about nutrition seem to link fast foods with the growing number of obesity. In this case, KFC should start research on healthier ingredient like offering roaster chicken instead of fried chicken and provide low fat, low calories product to consumer. For example, McDonald's recently have announced that they will use organic milk to product the coffee and chocolate in future. As consumers increasingly concerned about the source of food, McDonald's also had to be improved for their own ingredient in order to increase the turnover. McDonald's (UK) director Steve Easterbrook said, British consumers increasingly focusing on the quality of food sources and the realm of ethics, which has led to Britain's organic dairy products has been greatly welcomed, so we also decided to provide our customers changes in the quality of milk. At the same time, we also hope that through this change, can increase the level of consumption of organic milk, organic dairy products market, contribute to the development. Well-known dairy company Arla is a McDonald's milk supplier, said the organic milk market development more and more powerful, and we are very pleased to see McDonald's fast food industry to lead the transition to organic dairy products.
Responsibility to Animal Welfare
With economic development and social progress, people towards animal's attitude have a series of changes. As result, some countries come up with animal welfare laws and regulations. In addition, with the improvement of living standards in developed countries on food safety and health have become increasingly stringent requirements, the WTO also requires on this. PETA advocates to promote animal welfare, the main purpose is to have better human beings, in a reasonable and humane use of animals at the same time taking into account the welfare of animals that live to be comfortable and not painful death. Some studies show that in dirty and dense environment, pigs, chickens, ducks and other animals, their immunity will be greatly reduced and it is easy to fall ill, thus causing animal diseases. If an animals suddenly suffering in terror state, it will secret a large quality of adrenal and it will affecting the quality of the meat and these hormones may have hazardous on human health. After exposing the video of inhumane slaughter of chickens, PETA has been keep open condemnation on the KFC. KFC company should pay enough attention on this case, continuous improvement of the chicken breeding method and it living environment. This is the only way to ensure the chicken welfare, otherwise KFC will facing enormous obstacles from public. Besides that, KFC should made a commitment to require supplier farms to take measures to improve animal breeding environment, not forced feeding, not cruelty to animals and reduce suffer as much as possible when slaughtering process, or they will stop purchasing from them.
Improve Public Relationship
TV media has an important impact on people to their moral values, self-awareness, and values. Advertising can influence people's attitudes change and affecting people's consumer attitudes and values. Therefore, if the information of ads are no false it will cause a negative impact on the socio cultural. Young people and children are important consumer group for KFC, many parents concerned about KFC food contained in the low nutrition and high-calorie, worried that will cause children's bad eating habits and nutritional imbalance caused by such issues. In fact, the media has a huge influence, if used properly will be able to play a significant positive effect. KFC should development of many more healthy, low calorie meals and other nutrition and health portfolio selection, and should clearly marked on the number of calories, nutrients, energy and nutrient density and the consumption of different age groups. So that, KFC can advocacy the healthy diet and exercise ideas in their ads, indicating the nutritional information, educating parents a correct idea and providing children the correct healthy diet knowledge. KFC company can also partnership with other public relation company holding a long-term, large-scale, cross-media public relations activities to advocacy the concept of the importance of health.