The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : American fast food chain opens outlet amid protests

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Mar 22, 2007
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Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

American fast food chain opens outlet amid protests

Susan Muthalaly

PETA activists hold demonstration; KFC plans seven more in the city by year-end

UP IN ARMS: PETA activists stage a demonstration outside the new KFC outlet at a city mall on Wednesday. — Photo: K.V. Srinivasan

CHENNAI: A younger, more dapper Colonel Sanders set up kitchen at Citi Centre mall on Wednesday, with a handful of animal activists protesting against his Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC).

The logo featuring the founder of the company may have given him a new look to increase the colonel's appeal among youngsters (new hairdo, trendy glasses), but animal activists still cluck at the opening of a new KFC outlet. This is its second outlet in Chennai.

The protests on the opening day seem to have been incorporated in the pecking order of chicken fryers and chicken evangelists, and the people of KFC have learnt to take it in their stride, considering their phenomenal rate of expansion worldwide, at the rate of four new outlets a day.

This is according to Unnat Varma, senior marketing manager, KFC. When asked why he thought KFC was a favourite target of organisations such as the People for Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), he managed to keep optimistic. "They are looking for the publicity that comes with being associated with a brand like KFC," he said.

And then frowning, he added, "Their allegations fox me. We do not grow, process, or transport the chicken. We only purchase it. In India, our supplier is Venkys chicken and they have their quality checks in place."

PETA's `KFC campaign co-ordinator' Roshni D'Silva, who flew in from Mumbai just for this demonstration, begged to differ.

She said considering the company's economic power as the buyer of about 850 million chickens globally, their anti-KFC campaign was not country or region specific. "We are targeting KFC as a brand because they have the power to improve conditions on how their chickens are raised."

Six PETA activists assembled outside the KFC outlet and proceeded with their routine. There was the mandatory activist-in-a-cage to demonstrate the cooped conditions of chicken coops and flash cards saying `Boycott KFC... '.

But inside, the cuddly chicken `Chicky', the KFC mascot, was living it up Hefner-like, flapping his big fluffy arms as youngsters pranced around in a celebratory dance. Justifiably so, as his company has dynamic expansion plans in the country, with a total of seven outlets slated for Chennai alone by the end of this year.

KFC India has introduced a pure vegetarian menu but Mr. Varma said as far as meat eaters were concerned, India was a chicken eating country for their source of animal protein. "By the sheer size of its population, it has potential for us."

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