30 years on, KFC Thailand going strong

[kieran2698]

Dreadful junk food using chickens kept in barbaric conditions. Anyone working for such a cruel company deserves to be reborn as a factory farmed chicken.

Their life will be short, uncomfortable and probably painful.

You seem to be under the impression that KFC raises all of its own chickens. KFC neither owns nor operates vast acres of chicken farms and poultry processing plants. They are a wholesale consumer of chicken meat, and that's all. They buy their chicken (just as McDonald's buys its beef, Subway buys its vegetables, and so on) from the same suppliers who serve many other customers.

Nothing that was said in the previous post inferred that they thought that KFC farmed their own chicken, only that the chickens were kept in poor condition, which is true. You seem to be under the impression that the produce brought into a restaurant is not the responsibility of the restaurant.

KFC have their own animal welfare advisers and recently the advice given by them was to ensure that their suppliers were not subjecting the chickens to unnecessary suffering, KFC refused to do this and the advisers resigned and new advisers were employed.

[kieran2698]

The KFC bashing by what appear to be Americans on this forum make me laugh. Having spent a great deal of time there, the whole Country is one big junk food outlet. What is healthy about a Philly steak sandwich or an enormous fried breakfast with French toast smothered in fake maple syrup.

Sent from my GT-I9500 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

and if the french toast had real maple syrup?

If the french toast had real maple syrup you would at least have the benefit of the antioxidants and essential minerals in maple syrup and be free from the lipogenesis (fatty liver leading to diabetes) effect of the high fructose corn syrup that fake maple syrup is made from.

Did you think that natural sugars were just as bad as artificial ones? LOL

[attrayant]

Nothing that was said in the previous post inferred that they thought that KFC farmed their own chicken, only that the chickens were kept in poor condition, which is true. You seem to be under the impression that the produce brought into a restaurant is not the responsibility of the restaurant.

The post I responded to strongly implied that KFC is directly responsible for alleged cruelty to animals that don't even belong to them. My response was in line.

KFC have their own animal welfare advisers and recently the advice given by them was to ensure that their suppliers were not subjecting the chickens to unnecessary suffering, KFC refused to do this and the advisers resigned and new advisers were employed.

Provide a link to the news report on this (which does not come from kentukyfriedcruelty dot com), or it will be summarily dismissed as fictional. I don't have time today to do hours of digging for cites. The few that I could find lead back to either 'KFcruelty' or PETA.

It strains belief that a publicly traded company has a department on the payroll whose job is to sit around and do nothing.

This cruelty to animals sidebar is a serious hijack of this thread. I've read Fast Food Nation and I'm aware of what goes on in farms and slaughterhouses. If you want to talk about animal welfare conditions (regardless of which restaurant ends up buying their carcasses), open a new thread about that topic. I might even agree with you on many points.

Edited April 13, 2014 by attrayant

[JSixpack]

This thread has made me hungry for some KFC, which is strictly off-diet. Once in a while it's awfully nice to have a piece. Or two.

[northernjohn]

I'd be happy if they would start putting all 11 of the secret herbs and spices back here in TL

The stuff in TL tastes different from what I ate in the US.

It still tastes good mind you. Just not as good as it is back in the US.

I agree. The KFC in the USA tasted better and had bigger pieces of chicken.

I liked the biscuits which they don't have in thailand.

The KFC in the USA also had an all you can eat buffet which thailand does not have.

Would love to eat at a KFC all you can eat but would not be good for me. The skin has a poison to it. Very mild and you would have to eat a lot of it. That is why they sell so much skinless chicken in the stores.

A friend of mine owned his own restaurant as well as had been an executive chief in the States for a high class Restaurant Company. He had studied under world class chiefs and also owned a chain of fast food outlets on collage campuses.

He told me that the Chicken in Thailand is far better than the chicken in the states because in the States they add a hormone to the Chicken food. It in turn works towards producing breasts in men where as the chicken here does not have that particular hormone added to the food and is over all better for you.

Still KFC is darn good tasting chicken any where.

I

[BritManToo]

exercise to work off fast food?

exercise the key to ward off artherosclerosis?

seems like double effort for zero gain, and the body, heart and arteries are the loser.

lets not bother with fat around the kidneys and belly, anyone who eats at KFC is clearly not concerned about their health

wouldnt it be better to eat real food, and exercise to build strength and endurance, rather than try to fight off invading calories and negative effetcs on your arteries?

Problems from high fat foods only happen to people who don't exercise.

My body needs every bit of fat it can get hold of, without the 'junk food' I lose weight quickly.

There is no such thing as 'healthy food' and unhealthy food', it's all about eating to match your lifestyle.

In the last week I have burned 4,000KCal running (4 runs totaling 40Km), and another 3 hours swimming (dunno the calories burned doing that my hear monitor and wrist calculator aren't waterproof).

If I had any medical conditions, I would have dropped dead last year, probably during a 20Km run.

The fat content of my belly is ZERO.

What I eat would kill you, but that's because you have a sedentary lifestyle.

PS

Just dropped in for an upsized Zinger Burger Set at KFC after this mornings 20Km run.

Edited April 13, 2014 by BritManToo

[BritManToo]

Cant believe there is anyone actually sticking up for kfc absolutely un frigging believable.

Not sticking up for KFC as much as we're shooting down the ignorant BS from people claiming that it's not really chicken, or whatever delusional ideas are being espoused. In short, just because the subject may be less than healthy when eaten in excessive amount does not give people the right to lie without being called on it.

He's right,

KFC is real cuts of chicken fried in batter. Not reconstituted like McD.

Although KFC does appear to use cuts from chicken thighs and legs. Nothing inherently wrong with eating fried chicken.

[Jingthing]

Does anyone know the TRANSFAT content of KFC Thailand products? Because specifically TRANSFATS are extremely unhealthy for everyone. It is not true that some "foods" are not unhealthy by definition. Transfats are.

This is about KFC in the USA who are responding to this public health threat:

NEW YORK — KFC said Monday it is phasing out trans fats in cooking its Original Recipe and Extra Crispy fried chicken, Potato Wedges and other menu items, but hasn’t found a good alternative yet for its biscuits.

Health experts say trans fats raise levels of artery-clogging cholesterol and contribute to heart disease.

http://www.nbcnews.com/id/15474488/ns/health-diet_and_nutrition/t/kfc-stop-using-trans-fats-some-items/

I know of no such movement in Thailand to eliminate transfats. So it's probably all over the place, most likely in bakery and bread products as well which are rarely ingredient labeled in Thailand.

More about transfats. Hard to avoid in Thailand if you don't cook ALL of your own food:

http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/high-blood-cholesterol/in-depth/trans-fat/ART-20046114

Edited April 13, 2014 by Jingthing

[northernjohn]

Does anyone know the TRANSFAT content of KFC Thailand products? Because specifically TRANSFATS are extremely unhealthy for everyone. It is not true that some "foods" are not unhealthy by definition. Transfats are.

This is about KFC in the USA who are responding to this public health threat:

NEW YORK — KFC said Monday it is phasing out trans fats in cooking its Original Recipe and Extra Crispy fried chicken, Potato Wedges and other menu items, but hasn’t found a good alternative yet for its biscuits.

Health experts say trans fats raise levels of artery-clogging cholesterol and contribute to heart disease.

http://www.nbcnews.com/id/15474488/ns/health-diet_and_nutrition/t/kfc-stop-using-trans-fats-some-items/

I know of no such movement in Thailand to eliminate transfats. So it's probably all over the place, most likely in bakery and bread products as well which are rarely ingredient labeled in Thailand.

More about transfats. Hard to avoid in Thailand if you don't cook ALL of your own food:

http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/high-blood-cholesterol/in-depth/trans-fat/ART-20046114

Are not most of the trans fats removed by removing the skin?

[zydeco]

Oh, heck. I'm going to limit my diet to lettuce, beans, and tofu. Then, I can live forever.

[Ulysses G.]

You will have to skip tofu if you want to live forever . Tempeh is much more trendy now.

[Ulysses G.]

Are not most of the trans fats removed by removing the skin?

Why would anyone buy KFC and the remove the skin? Just get regular BBQ chicken with no breading and thus no transfats.

[Jingthing]

Does anyone know the TRANSFAT content of KFC Thailand products? Because specifically TRANSFATS are extremely unhealthy for everyone. It is not true that some "foods" are not unhealthy by definition. Transfats are.

This is about KFC in the USA who are responding to this public health threat:

NEW YORK — KFC said Monday it is phasing out trans fats in cooking its Original Recipe and Extra Crispy fried chicken, Potato Wedges and other menu items, but hasn’t found a good alternative yet for its biscuits.

Health experts say trans fats raise levels of artery-clogging cholesterol and contribute to heart disease.

http://www.nbcnews.com/id/15474488/ns/health-diet_and_nutrition/t/kfc-stop-using-trans-fats-some-items/

I know of no such movement in Thailand to eliminate transfats. So it's probably all over the place, most likely in bakery and bread products as well which are rarely ingredient labeled in Thailand.

More about transfats. Hard to avoid in Thailand if you don't cook ALL of your own food:

http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/high-blood-cholesterol/in-depth/trans-fat/ART-20046114

Are not most of the trans fats removed by removing the skin?

No, not about chicken skin. Transfats are generally created artificially.

Transfats should be completely avoided. Good luck with that in Thailand. Prevalent in junk food, fast food, processed food, bread and bakery products, etc. In other words, the "modern" diet.

As this is about KFC Thailand, can anyone point to a source where the company reveals their policy on transfats in their products? Obviously, anything from KFC USA wouldn't be assumed to apply here.

Why do companies use this stuff? It's tastes good (fat always does) and it's CHEAP.

Note that the transfat concern would apply to any fast food chain in the world unless you know their policy. It's linked to a number of other health problems besides heart disease.

Note there are some naturally occurring transfats which don't seem to have the same health implications as the artificial ones, in case anyone wants to get nerdy about this.

Edited April 13, 2014 by Jingthing

[BritManToo]

Why do companies use this stuff? It's tastes good (fat always does) and it's CHEAP.

It extends the shelf life of food it is used in.

[zydeco]

You will have to skip tofu if you want to live forever . Tempeh is much more trendy now.

Tempeh, eh? I had never even heard of it. I had to look it up. Forget about it. I'll just walk down to Ban Nam Kieng Din and order a schnitzel and weissbier.

[Scarpolo]

KFC being pushed very hard to young people

[daveAustin]

KFC, in Thailand anyway, is the worst of a dodgy bunch. The batter is loaded with MSG, more so than the rest, and the chicken just comes across as low quality.

To the guy asking about Brits and Aussies and fast food chains (post #1), friend it is all on you.

[pasak]

The Thais had something valuable to offer before the likes of KFC, McDonalds, 7/11 etc. Sadly though, Thailand is a perfect victim for anyone peddling junk. Can even sell them fried chicken..lol

[crazyguyinthailand]

Im happy to see a post of this. I ate there yesterday. I live in an area with Thai Majority: South Thai People, Buddists, Muslim, Christians and the KFC at the first floor in "The Mall Bangkapi" is always full and going very good. I see a lot of thai muslims there. they love that Fried Chicken. KFC is very good at adapting to the Country. there are menues fair prized. Some dishes very spicy, herbs and onions. Most of the staff here are Thai Muslims. KFC is only going to grow if it kees fair prizes. They told me that in South Thailand KFC is very popular too.

[kieran2698]

Nothing that was said in the previous post inferred that they thought that KFC farmed their own chicken, only that the chickens were kept in poor condition, which is true. You seem to be under the impression that the produce brought into a restaurant is not the responsibility of the restaurant.

The post I responded to strongly implied that KFC is directly responsible for alleged cruelty to animals that don't even belong to them. My response was in line.

KFC have their own animal welfare advisers and recently the advice given by them was to ensure that their suppliers were not subjecting the chickens to unnecessary suffering, KFC refused to do this and the advisers resigned and new advisers were employed.

Provide a link to the news report on this (which does not come from kentukyfriedcruelty dot com), or it will be summarily dismissed as fictional. I don't have time today to do hours of digging for cites. The few that I could find lead back to either 'KFcruelty' or PETA.

It strains belief that a publicly traded company has a department on the payroll whose job is to sit around and do nothing.

This cruelty to animals sidebar is a serious hijack of this thread. I've read Fast Food Nation and I'm aware of what goes on in farms and slaughterhouses. If you want to talk about animal welfare conditions (regardless of which restaurant ends up buying their carcasses), open a new thread about that topic. I might even agree with you on many points.

It's as if you think that KFC does not know what goes on along their supply chain when the reality is that they work hard to ensure that they know exactly what goes on in order to maintain a consistent product. In fact they have had on their board the very designer of the processes which are in question. There was a very famous case when Dr, Temple Grandin quit (numerous articles available and not hard to find now you know the name), she quit because she was asked to sign an agreement which meant she could not speak to the press about any of the processes involved even though she was the very person who designed them.

I understand that you might feel the kentuckyfriedcruelty site has a potential for exaggeration, I had a look and ironically it is cited. The Chicago Tribune, front page 6/8/2005

Do you not think it might be possible that a corporation such as KFC would like to be able to boast about their Animal Welfare Advisory Council but also not give a damn about their advice? The particular case I referenced was that of Dr Ian Duncan who is considered Americas leading expert on poultry welfare and former board member of the KFC AWAC. His reasons for resignation were reported in the Guelph Mercury 26/10/2005 where you will see another quote that made international headlines, that Duncan suspected "upper management didn't really think that animal welfare was important."

If you are so concerned with a thread staying on one subject then why did you respond to the post that you feel is so 'seriously' off subject and why on earth do you feel that it is OK for you to do so but that it is not OK for others? Anyway, what could possibly be 'serious' about 'hijacking' this type of thread? Hijacking can be rude as it deters from the original posters question but we are replying to each others comments not adding to the main feed so it doesn't matter.

[Scarpolo]

KFC's latest assault on people's untelligence:

[Scarpolo]

More fast food wordsmithing.

When is 100% beef, not 100% beef?

When you buy it from a company that calls itself 100% beef, but they are mixing in worms and eye balls, and whatever else they find laying around the plant at the time, dead or alive, why would they care, if you obviously will eat it?

It all depends on what your definition of "IS", is

http://dailybuzzlive.com/archives/5413

Edited April 19, 2014 by Scarpolo

[wingman662]

I prefer the fresh cooked fried chicken you get on the streets, with some sticky rice

[Scarpolo]

I was getting some very tasty chicken at a market that was open only 4-8

occaisionally there was a chef from a restaurant I cannot pronounce, in his chef whites, making chicken shisk-ka-bobs.

it was 20 baht per stick, I think, it may have been 40 baht.

whatever it was, I knew I found a great "fast" food vendor, and, he spoke english.

that was a great find in thailand for me

[bkkpro]

Okay, never eat at a KFC. But the same company, Yum, owns Taco Bell. And I would love to start seeing a chain of Taco Bell's pop up in every mall.

I have it on very good authority that you wont be waiting long for you Taco Bell fix.

Taco Bell is in the planning stage of going to Thailand. Just left the company and they quizzed me on doing business in LOS

Sent from my iPhone using Thaivisa Connect Thailand

[Mosha]

The KFC chicken in a bucket deal is an age old scam. False or misleading advertising .

Why buy KFC anyway? Plenty of Thais on the soi's sell fried chicken that tastes similar.

I'd say tasted better. KFC

[Ulysses G.]

The Thais all say that KFC tastes better. Personally, I mainly stick to BBQ chicken, so I'm not really sure.

[Ulysses G.]

More fast food wordsmithing.

When is 100% beef, not 100% beef?

When you buy it from a company that calls itself 100% beef, but they are mixing in worms and eye balls, and whatever else they find laying around the plant at the time, dead or alive, why would they care, if you obviously will eat it?

As long as it is cooked, meat is meat.

[The stuttering parrot]

The best KFC I ever had was in Ipoh Malaysia years ago.

The skin was crispy and not much fat.You have it sweet chili sauce washed down with a and w woot beet.

They changed the recipe to suit the Malaysian taste and got into trouble for it.

The closest I have come to it is to get takeaway put it under the grill for 15 mins and let the fat run out and crisp up the skin and then dip in sweet chilli sauce.

Me probably 4 times a year.

[attrayant]

More fast food wordsmithing.

When is 100% beef, not 100% beef?

When you buy it from a company that calls itself 100% beef...

Urban legend:

Claim: McDonald's buys its meat from a company called '100% Beef', which allows it to legally but deceptively claim it uses 100% beef in its hamburgers.

FALSE

...but they are mixing in worms and eye balls, and whatever else they find laying around the plant at the time, dead or alive, why would they care, if you obviously will eat it?

Why, pray tell, would they want to mix in worm meat? Do you have any idea how expensive that stuff is?