KFC Corporation, or KFC, founded and also known as Kentucky Fried Chicken, is a chain

of fast food restaurants based in Louisville, Kentucky. KFC is a brand and operating

segment, called a "concept",[2] of Yum! Brands since 1997 when that company was spun

off from PepsiCo as Tricon Global Restaurants Inc.

KFC primarily sells chicken in form of pieces, wraps, salads and sandwiches. While its

primary focus is fried chicken, KFC also offers a line of roasted chicken products, side

dishes and desserts. Outside North America, KFC offers beef based products such

ashamburgers or kebabs, pork based products such as ribs and other regional fare.

The company was founded as Kentucky Fried Chicken by Colonel Harland Sanders in

1952, though the idea of KFC's fried chicken actually goes back to 1930. The company

adopted the abbreviated form of its name in 1991.[3] Starting in April 2007, the company

began using its original name, Kentucky Fried Chicken, for its signage, packaging and

advertisements in the United States as part of a new corporate re-branding program;[4]

[5] newer and remodeled restaurants will have the new logo and name while older stores will

continue to use the 1980s signage. Additionally, Yum! continues to use the abbreviated

name freely in its advertising.

Contents

 [hide]

1 History

2 The secret recipe

3 Products

o 3.1 Packaging

o 3.2 Menu items

4 Advertising

5 International operations

o 5.1 Global locations

o 5.2 Gallery

o 5.3 Countries

6 Criticisms

o 6.1 Environmental concerns

o 6.2 Trademark disputes

o 6.3 Wages and working conditions

o 6.4 Animal rights

7 See also

8 Notes

9 External links

History

The restaurant in North Corbin, Kentucky where Colonel Sanders developed Kentucky Fried Chicken

World's first KFC in South Salt Lake, Utah, since replaced by a new KFC on the same site

Born and raised in Henryville, Indiana, Sanders passed through several professions in his

lifetime.[6] Sanders first served his fried chicken in 1930 in the midst of the Great

Depression at a gas station he owned in North Corbin, Kentucky. The dining area

was named "Sanders Court & Café" and was so successful that in 1936 Kentucky

Governor Ruby Laffoon granted Sanders the title of honorary Kentucky Colonel in

recognition of his contribution to the state's cuisine. The following year Sanders expanded

his restaurant to 142 seats, and added a motel he bought across the street.[7] When

Sanders prepared his chicken in his original restaurant in North Corbin, he prepared the

chicken in an iron skillet, which took about 30 minutes to do, too long for a restaurant

operation. In 1939, Sanders altered the cooking process for his fried chicken to use

a pressure fryer, resulting in a greatly reduced cooking time comparable to that of deep

frying.[8] In 1940 Sanders devised what came to be known as hisOriginal Recipe.[9]

The Sanders Court & Café generally served travelers, often those headed to Florida, so

when the route planned in the 1950s for what would become Interstate

75 bypassed Corbin, he sold his properties and traveled the U.S. to sell his chicken to

restaurant owners. The first to take him up on the offer was Pete Harman in South Salt

Lake, Utah; together, they opened the first "Kentucky Fried Chicken" outlet in 1952.[10] By

the early 1960s Kentucky Fried Chicken was sold in over 600 franchised outlets in both the

United States and Canada. One of the longest-lived franchisees of the older Col. Sanders'

chicken concept, as opposed to the KFC chain, was the Kenny Kings chain. The company

owned many Northern Ohio diner-style restaurants, the last of which closed in 2004. Sanders

sold the entire KFC franchising operation in 1964 for $2 millionUSD [11] Since that time,

the chain has been sold three more times, most recently to PepsiCo, which made it part of

its Tricon Global Restaurants division, which in turn was spun off in 1997, and has now

been renamed to Yum! Brands. Additionally, Colonel Sanders' nephew, Lee Cummings,

took his own Kentucky Fried Chicken franchises (and a chicken recipe of his own) and

converted them to his own "spin-off"restaurant chain, Lee's Famous Recipe

Chicken.

Today, some of the older KFC restaurants have become famous in their own right. One such

restaurant is located in Marietta, Georgia. This store is notable for a 56-foot (17 m) tall

sign that looks like a chicken. The sign, known locally as the Big Chicken, was built for an

earlier fast-food restaurant on the site called Johnny Reb's Chick, Chuck and Shake. It is

often used as a travel reference point in the Atlanta area by locals and pilots.[12]

The secret recipe

The Colonel's secret flavor recipe of 11 herbs and spices that creates the famous "finger

lickin' good" chicken remains a trade secret.[13][14] Portions of the secret spice mix are

made at different locations in the United States, and the only complete, handwritten copy of

the recipe is kept in a vault in corporate headquarters.[15] On September 9, 2008, the one

complete copy was temporarily moved to an undisclosed location under extremely tight

security while KFC revamped the security at its headquarters. Before the move, KFC

disclosed the following details about the recipe and its security arrangements:[16]

The recipe, which includes exact amounts of each component, is written in pencil on a

single sheet of notebook paper and signed by Sanders.

The recipe was locked in a filing cabinet with two separate combination locks. The

cabinet also included vials of each of the 11 herbs and spices used.

Only two executives had access to the recipe at any one time. KFC refuses to disclose

the names and titles of either executive.[17]

One of the two executives said that no one had come close to guessing the contents of

the secret recipe, and added that the actual recipe would include some surprises.

On February 9, 2009, the secret recipe returned to KFC's Louisville headquarters in a more

secure, computerized vault.[18]

In 1983, writer William Poundstone examined the recipe in his book Big Secrets. He

reviewed Sanders' patent application, and advertised in college newspapers for present or

former employees willing to share their knowledge.[19] From the former he deduced that

Sanders had diverged from other common fried-chicken recipes by varying the amount of oil

used with the amount of chicken being cooked, and starting the cooking at a higher

temperature (about 400°F, 200°C) for the first minute or so and then lowering it to 250°F

(120°C) for the remainder of the cooking time. Several of Poundstone's contacts also

provided samples of the seasoning mix, and a food lab found that it consisted solely

of sugar, flour, salt, black pepper and monosodium glutamate (MSG). He

concluded that it was entirely possible that, in the years since Sanders sold the chain, later

owners had begun skimping on the recipe to save costs.[20][21][22] Following his buyout in

1964, Colonel Sanders himself expressed anger at such changes, saying, "That friggin' ...

outfit .... They prostituted every goddamn thing I had. I had the greatest gravy in the world

and those sons of bitches they dragged it out and extended it and wa tered it down that I'm

so goddamn mad."[21][22]

Ron Douglas, author of the book "America's Most Wanted Recipes," also claims to have

figured out KFC's secret recipe.[23]

Products

Packaging

The famous paper bucket that KFC uses for its larger sized orders of chicken and has come

to signify the company was originally created by Wendy's restaurants founder Dave

Thomas. Thomas was originally a franchisee of the original Kentucky Fried Chicken and

operated several outlets in the Columbus, Ohio area. His reasoning behind using the

paper packaging was that it helped keep the chicken crispy by wicking away excess

moisture. Thomas was also responsible for the creation of the famous rotating bucket sign

that came to be used at most KFC locations in the US.[24]

Menu items

This is a list of menu items sold at KFC.

Chicken

KFC's Original Recipe fried chicken and French fries

KFC's specialty is fried chicken served in various forms. KFC's primary product is

pressure-fried pieces of chicken made with the original recipe. The other chicken

offering, extra crispy, is made using a garlic marinade and double dipping the chicken in

flour before deep frying in a standard industrial kitchen type machine.

Kentucky Grilled Chicken - This marinated grilled chicken is targeted towards health-

conscious customers. It features marinated breasts, thighs, drumsticks, and wings that

are coated with the Original Recipe seasonings before being grilled. It has less fat,

calories, and sodium than the Original Recipe fried chicken.[25] Introduced in April 2009.

KFC has two lines of sandwiches: its "regular" chicken sandwiches and its Snackers

line. The regular sandwiches are served on either asesame seed or corn dusted roll

and are made from either whole breast fillets (fried or roasted), chopped chicken in a

sauce or fried chicken strips. The Snackers line are value priced items that consist of

chicken strips and various toppings. In the UK, Australia and New Zealand,

sandwiches are referred to as "burgers"; there is the chicken fillet burger (a chicken

breast fillet coated in an original-recipe coating with salad garnish and mayonnaise) and

a Zinger Burger (as with the former but with a spicier coating and salsa). Both of these

are available as "tower" variants, which include a slice of cheese and a hash brown.

A variety of smaller finger food products are available at KFC including chicken strips,

wings, nuggets and popcorn chicken. These products can be ordered plain or with

various sauces, including several types of barbecue sauces and buffalo sauce.

They also offer potato wedges.

Several pies have been made available from KFC. The Pot Pie is a savory pie made

with chicken, gravy and vegetables. In the second quarter of 2006, KFC introduced its

variation on Shepherd's pie called the Famous Bowl. Served in a plastic bowl, it is

layered with mashed potatoes or rice, gravy, corn, popcorn chicken, and cheese, and

is served with a biscuit. The bowl had been available at KFC's special test market store

in Louisville since the third quarter of 2005.

The KFC Twister is a wrap that consists of either chicken strips or roasted chicken,

tomato, lettuce and (pepper) mayonnaise wrapped in a tortilla. In Europe, the Twister is

sold in two varieties: 1) the Grilled Twister (chicked strips),[26][27][28] and 2) the Grilled

Mexican twister/Spicy Toasted Twister (UK) (chicken breast supplemented by tortilla

chips and salsa, UK: adds only salsa to pepper mayonnaise),[29][30][31]

KFC Fillers are a 9" (22 cm) sub, available in four varieties over the summer period in

Australia.

Shish kebab  - in several markets KFC sells kebabs.

Other products

Coleslaw

In some international locations, KFC may sell hamburgers, pork ribs or fish. In the

U.S., KFC began offering the Fish Snacker sandwich during Lent in 2006. The Fish

Snacker consists of a rectangular patty of Alaskan Pollock on a small bun, and is the

fifth KFC menu item in the Snacker category.[32]

Three types of salads (which can be topped with roasted or fried chicken) are available

at KFC: Caesar, house, and BLT salads (in the US).

The Boneless Banquet

Zinger Burger – A regular sized burger which regularly consists of a boneless fillet of hot

and spicy chicken, lettuce and mayonnaise in a burger bun. Cheese, tomato, bacon and

pineapple can be added upon request. Barbecue sauce can also replace/join the

mayonnaise.

Chili Cheese Fries [33] - By 2007, 2 former KFC/A&W Restaurants locations in Berlin

and Cologne, Germany had reverted to KFC-only locations and the third location in

Garbsen (by Hannover) was closed in 2005. The only remnant from the former A&W

menu are the Chili Cheese Fries which were added to the systemwide KFC Germany

menu.

Parfait desserts – "Little Bucket Parfaits" in varieties such as Fudge Brownie, Chocolate

Crème (once called the Colonel's Little Fudge Bucket), Lemon Crème and Strawberry

Shortcake are available at most locations in the US.[34]

Sara Lee Desserts – Available in either Cookies and Cream Cheesecake or Choc Caramel

Mousse.

Sides

Other than fried chicken, many KFC restaurants serve side dishes like coleslaw,

various potato-based items (including potato wedges, french fries and mashed

potatoes withgravy), biscuits, baked beans, macaroni and cheese, macaroni

salad, rice, steamed vegetables and corn on the cob.

Discontinued products

The Colonel's Rotisserie Gold – This product was introduced in the 1990s as a response

to the Boston Market chain's roasted chicken products, and a healthier mindset of the

general public avoiding fried food. Purportedly made from a "lost" Col. Sanders recipe, it

was sold as a whole roaster or a half bird.[35]

Tender Roast Chicken – This product was an off-shoot of 'The Colonel's Rotisserie Gold'.

Instead of whole and half birds, customers were given quarter roasted chicken pieces.

For a time, customers could request chicken "original", "Extra Tasty Crispy", or "Tender

Roast".

Chicken Little sandwich – a value oriented sandwich that sold for $0.39(USD)[36] in the

U.S. during the late 1980s and early 1990s. It was a small chicken patty with mayonnaise

on a small roll, similar to White Castle's mini chicken sandwich.[37]

Extra Tasty Crispy (ETC) – Chicken much like the Extra Crispy served today, except ETC

was prepared using chicken that had been soaking for 15 minutes in a special marinade

machine. There is some speculation that the marinade may have been made with trans-

fats, and KFC boasts to no longer use trans-fats in their chicken, the known ingredients

were garlic and chicken stock. In the summer of 2007, KFC started marketing the

chicken just as "Extra Crispy" without the marinade.

Kentucky Nuggets were a chicken nugget product available at KFC until 1996. No reason

has been given for their discontinuation.

Smokey Chipotle – Introduced in April 2008. The chicken was dipped in chipotle sauce

then doubled breaded and fried. It has been discontinued since August 2008.

Nutritional value

KFC formerly used partially hydrogenated oil in its fried foods. This oil contains relatively

high levels of trans fat, which increases the risk of heart disease. The Center for

Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) filed a court case against KFC, with the aim of

making it use other types of oils or make sure customers know about trans fat content

immediately before they buy food.

In October 2006, KFC announced that it would begin frying its chicken in trans fat-free oil.

This would also apply to their potato wedges and other fried foods, however, the

biscuits,macaroni and cheese, and mashed potatoes would still contain trans fat. Trans

fat-free soybean oil was introduced in all KFC restaurants in the U.S. by April 30, 2007.

CSPI announced that it would immediately drop its lawsuit against KFC and was hopeful that

this would create a ripple effect on other restaurants or fast food chains that prepare food

rich in trans fat. "If KFC, which deep-fries almost everything, can get the artificial trans fat

out of its frying oil, anyone can," CSPI executive director Michael Jacobson said in a

statement.[38]

Advertising

KFC's logo used from 1997 until November 2006

Early television advertisements for KFC regularly featured Colonel Sanders licking his

fingers and talking to the viewer about his secret recipe. Despite his death in 1980 Sanders

remains a key symbol of the company in its advertising and branding.

Throughout the mid 1980s, KFC called on Will Vinton Studios to produce a series of

humorous, claymation ads. These most often featured a cartoon-like chicken illustrating

the poor food quality of competing food chains, mentioning prolonged freezing and other

negative aspects.[39] TV ads also featured Foghorn Leghorn advising Henery Hawk to

visit the restaurant for better chicken.

In the 80s, KFC was an associate sponsor for Junior Johnson's NASCAR Winston Cup

Series cars, with such drivers as Darrell Waltrip, Neil Bonnett, and Terry Labonte.

In 1997 KFC briefly re-entered the NASCAR Winston Cup Series as sponsor of the

#26 Darrell Waltrip Motorsports Chevrolet with driver Rich Bickle at the Brickyard

400.

A co-branded Long John Silversand KFC

By the late 1990s, the stylized likeness of Colonel Sanders as the KFC logo had been

modified. KFC ads began featuring an animated version of "the Colonel" voiced by Randy

Quaid with a lively and enthusiastic attitude. He would often start out saying "The Colonel

here!" and moved across the screen with a cane in hand. The Colonel was often shown

dancing, singing, and knocking on the TV screen as he spoke to the viewer about the

product. In reference to these ads, William Shatner shouted "The Colonel

is breakdancing! Give me a break!" in the song "I Can't Get Behind That".

The animated Colonel is uncommon today. Still using a humorous slant, the current KFC

campaign revolves mostly around customers enjoying the food. It also features a modified

version of Lynyrd Skynyrd's "Sweet Home Alabama" as the theme song for

practically all its commercials, though the restaurant actually hails from Kentucky.

In 2006, KFC claimed to have made the first logo visible from outer space,

though Readymix has had one since 1965.[40][41] KFC says "[It] marked the official debut of

a massive global re-image campaign that will contemporize 14,000-plus KFC restaurants in

over 80 countries over the next few years." The logo was built from 65,000 one-foot-square

tiles, and it took six days on site to construct in early November. The logo was placed in

the Mojave Desert near Rachel, Nevada.[42] It is located in the northern section

of Rachel, Nevada at  37.6460°N 115.7507°W .

Many KFC locations are co-located with one or more of Yum! Brands restaurants, Long

John Silvers, Taco Bell, Pizza Hut, or A&W Restaurants. Many of these locations

behave like a single restaurant, offering a single menu with food items from both

restaurants.[43]

The resurrected Kentucky Fried Chicken logo

One of KFC's latest advertisements is a commercial advertising its "wicked crunch box

meal". The commercial features a fictional black metalband called "Hellvetica" performing

live, the lead singer then swallows fire. The commercial then shows the lead singer at a KFC

eating the "wicked crunch box meal" and saying "Oh man that is hot".

In 2007, the original, non-acronymic Kentucky Fried Chicken name was resurrected and

began to reappear on company marketing literature and food packaging, as well as some

restaurant signage.

International operations

Global locations

Countries with KFC restaurants

Key:

Blue: Countries currently with KFC restaurants

 Andorra

 Antigua and Barbuda

 Australia

 Austria

 Bahamas

 Bahrain

 El Salvador

 Egypt

 Fiji

 France

 Germany

 Greece

 Mexico

 Morocco

 Namibia

 Netherlands

 Aruba

 Netherlands Antilles

 Bangladesh

 Barbados

 Botswana

 Brazil

 Brunei

 Bulgaria

 Cambodia

 Canada

 Chile

 People's Republic of China

 Hong Kong

 Macau

 Colombia

 Costa Rica

 Cyprus

 Czech Republic

 Denmark

 Dominica

 Dominican Republic

 Ecuador

 Grenada

 Guyana

 Honduras

 Hungary

 Iceland

 India

 Indonesia

 Iran

 Iraq [44]

 Ireland

 Israel

 Jamaica

 Japan

 Jordan

 Kuwait

 Lebanon

 Lithuania

 Malaysia

 Malta

 Mauritius

 Curaçao

 Sint Maarten

 New Zealand

 Nicaragua

 Oman

 Pakistan

 Panama

 Peru

 Philippines

 Poland

 Portugal (Franchised by Ibersol

Group)

 Qatar

 Romania

 Russia

 Saudi Arabia

 Saint Kitts and Nevis

 Serbia

 Singapore

Gallery

(Listed alphabetically by country)

KFC in Wagga Wagga, New

South Wales,AustraliaGulshan, Dhaka,Bangladesh Hohhot, Inner

Mongolia,China KFC at Hohe Straße 120–122 (former

Pizza Hut location), one of 3 KFC

locations in Cologne,Germany

co-located KFC and Domino's

in Kolkata, IndiaKFC clone (BFC)

in Shiraz,Iran

Kingston, Jamaica Keihan Moriguchi City station, Osaka,

Japan

Kuwait City, Kuwait

Bangkok, Thailand

Singapore Angeles City, Philippines

CountriesCanada

In Quebec, KFC was officially rebranded as PFK (Poulet Frit Kentucky) after the 1977

passage of the Charter of the French Language, commonly known as Bill 101. The law

had restricted the use of commercial signs written in languages other than French. Parts of

the legislation were overturned in 1988 but remained in effect until 1993, although the

restaurants have continued to be known and marketed as PFK in the province.[45]

China

KFC is known as 肯德基 (pinyin: Kěn Dé Jī) in China.

In 1987, it opened its first store in Beijing, the capital of China. In 2007, it has over 1800

restaurants in 402 cities in all provinces other than Tibet.[46] From 2000 to 2005, it was

selected as the "Best chain store brand."[47]

France

The chain is known as KFC in France,[48] unlike Quebec.

Hong Kong

The first store in Hong Kong was opened in 1985. It was introduced to Hong Kong by Swire

Marketing Limited and subsequently taken over in 1997 by Birdland (Hong Kong) Limited—a

franchisee of KFC's parent company, Yum! Brands. It has 52 outlets in 2005, serving over

three million customers every month, with more than 2,800 full-time and part-time staff.[49]

The majority shareholder of Birdland (Hong Kong) Limited is the Navis Capital Partners

Limited, a Malaysia based company.[49]

Bangladesh

KFC opened its first outlet in Dhaka in 2006.[50] Currently KFC has only four outlets in the

country and all of them are in the capital Dhaka. Like its YUM counterpart Pizza Hut it too

charges the highest in the subcontinent. Transcom Foods is the local franchisee for KFC,

Pizza Hut and Pepsi in the country. KFC is set to open three more outlets this year two in

Dhaka (Eskaton and Baily Road) and the other in the port city of Chittagong.

Germany

KFC restaurant in Munich at the "Euro-Industie-Park"

The first KFC locations opened in Germany in the 1960s thus making it one of the first

European countries where KFC established itself. Currently, there are 60 locations in

Germany, with most located in major cities (mostly Berlin, Cologne, Munich, Frankfurt,

Hamburg to name a few). Within the last 6 months, 4 new locations were opened

in Augsburg - (Derchinger Strasse), Berlin - (S-

Bahnbogen Alexanderplatz),Bremen and Eschborn. The Würselen restaurant

reopened in late November after undergoing a major renovation.[51] The new Dortmund

location opened in April marking the end of a 3-year absence in that city. On May 13, 2008,

KFC opened their largest restaurant worldwide in Munich at the "Euro-Industie-Park".[52] Cologne's third location opened on April 2, 2009 in Cologne-Marsdorf. It is a standalone

restaurant which includes a drive-thru lane.

India

In India, KFC has not established itself in any large way as opposed to another Yum! brand-

name restaurant, Pizza Hut, which is prevalent in most Indian cities. It has outlets

in Chandigarh, Pune, New

Delhi,Lucknow, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Bangalore, Kolkata and Chennai. The

success of the Mumbai restaurant led KFC to introduce the hot and spicy chicken flavor

which is more acceptable to the Indian palate. More recently, KFC has opened outlets

in Vashi, Navi Mumbai.

A life-sized statue of Colonel Sanders (Ken Scott)[53] stands and greets customers outside a KFC inTokyo,

Japan.

Japan

KFC is often referred to as ケンタッキー (kentakkii?) in Japanese.

KFC Japan was founded in 1970. A life size statue of the Colonel stands in front of most

stores in Japan. Fried chicken is an especially popular dish at Christmas time and

on Christmas Eve many families, many of whom have made reservations weeks in

advance, have their traditional Christmas dinner of Kentucky Fried Chicken at home.[54]

There is a popular urban legend, known as the Curse of the Colonel, which says that

there is a curse on the Hanshin Tigers baseball team due to fans throwing a statue in the

likeness of Colonel Sanders into the nearby Dōtonbori canal. The curse supposedly

commands that the Tigers will not win a game until the statue is recovered; however, on

March 10, 2009, pieces of the statue were found.

Pakistan

KFC came to Pakistan in 1996 with the first branch opening in Karachi and later

in Lahore. The Franchisee was a Pakistani owned and operated, Dubai-based company the

Cupola Group, which owns licenses and its own restaurant throughout Pakistan and the

middle-east. The company's creatives have been changed significantly over the years to

promote a Pakistani image rather than an American one, after the invasion

of Afghanistan and Iraq, which resulted in loss of significant business.

Philippines

In the Philippines, the KFC name is turned into an acronym to stand for

"Kapag Fried Chicken... mag-KFC" to stand for "If fried chicken... have KFC".

Poland

First KFC restaurant in Poland was opened in 1993 in Warsaw. As of May 2008, KFC has

87 restaurants in Poland operated by AmRest company. Many of those restaurants are

drive-through. AmRest operates KFC also in the Czech

Republic, Hungary, Russia, Bulgaria and Serbia.

Puerto Rico

KFC restaurants around the Island are colloquially referred to simply as Kentucky rather

than being known as either KFC or Kentucky Fried Chicken.

Rostiks-KFC logo

Russia and CIS

Rostik's-KFC is one of largest fast-food operators in Russia and CIS and is known under

the Rostiks name.

Taiwan

KFC is the most popular Western fast-food chain in Taiwan[citation needed] . Local menu items

include egg tarts, and lotus root salad.

United Kingdom & Ireland

The first KFC outside of the United States and Canada was opened

in Preston, England in 1965, becoming the first American fast food chain to open in

the UK. There are now over 750 locations across the UK and Ireland. The franchise was

initially run by an independent company known as KFC GB Ltd. until 1986,

when Pepsico purchased it as part of a joint venture with Trust House Forte. In 1997,

when Tricon (now Yum!) was spun off from Pepsico, it gained full ownership of the UK &

Ireland operations. The UK & Ireland operation is seen as KFC's European base and is often

used to train franchisees from across Europe due to its great success and restaurant quality.[55] KFC is currently undergoing a massive expansion in the UK which plans to add between

200 and 400 new restaurants in the next 5 years. In the last 5 years 200 restaurants were

opened, making KFC the fastest-growing fast food chain in the UK[56] and approaching the

size of McDonald's which, with 1,150 restaurants, is currently the largest fast food chain in

the UK.

Criticisms

Environmental concerns

KFC has been accused of a large destruction of the Amazon Rainforest, because the

supply of soy used for chicken food KFC receives from Cargill has been traced back to

theEuropean KFC. Cargill has reportedly been exporting soy illegally for several years.[57] The Greenpeace organization researched the issue and brought it to the attention of

the parent company YUM! Brands, Inc. The parent company denied the illegal operation, and

said that their supply of soy is grown in parts of Brazil.[57] Greenpeace has called on KFC to

stop purchasing soy from Cargill, to avoid contributing to the destruction of the Amazon.[57]

[58]

Trademark disputes

In 1971, Sanders sued Heublein Inc., KFC's parent company at the time, over the alleged

misuse of his image in promoting products he had not helped develop. In 1975, Heublein

Inc. unsuccessfully sued Sanders for libel after he publicly referred to their gravy as "sludge"

with a "wallpaper taste".[59]

In May 2007 KFC (Great Britain) requested that Tan Hill Inn, in the Yorkshire

Dales, North Yorkshire, UK refrain from using the term 'Family Feast' to describe its

Christmas menu,[60] although this problem was quickly resolved with the pub being allowed

to continue use of the term.[61]

Wages and working conditions

Balmoral KFC workers and allies picketing the store

Like many fast food outlets, KFC employs a high proportion of young, unskilled workers, at or

just above minimum wage, and its workers are not unionized. In New Zealand, KFC

youth workers earn NZ$10.13 an hour. Staff at the Balmoral, Auckland store went on

strike for two hours on December 3, 2005 after Restaurant Brands, the franchise holder,

offered no wage increase in contract negotiations.[62] In March 2006, Restaurant Brands

agreed to phase out youth rates in New Zealand, although no date was set.

Many stores in western Canada are unionized with the Canadian Auto Workers, and as a

result many non-franchise stores in western Canada pay higher than minimum wage.

Animal rights

Protesters demonstrating outside a KFC restaurant in Royal Oak, Michigan

Since 2003, animal rights and welfare organizations, led by People for the Ethical

Treatment of Animals (PETA), have been protesting KFC’s treatment of the animals used

for its products. These groups claim that the recommendations of the KFC Animal Welfare

Advisory Council have been ignored.[63] Adele Douglass, a former member of the council,

said in an SEC filing reported on by the Chicago Times, that KFC "never had any

meetings. They never asked any advice, and then they touted to the press that they had this

animal-welfare advisory committee. I felt like I was being used."[64][65]

KFC responded by saying the chickens used in its products are bought from suppliers

like Perdue Farms, Tyson Foods, and Pilgrim's Pride, and that these suppliers are

routinely monitored for animal welfare violations.[66] Several PETA undercover investigations

and videos of these and other KFC suppliers purport to show chickens being beaten, ripped

apart, and thrown against walls contradict KFC’s claims.[67] PETA has criticised some of the

practices of chicken breeders, such as beak trimming and overcrowding, but KFC says its

suppliers meets UK legal requirements. The Department for Environment, Food and Rural

Affairs recommends a maximum stocking density of 34 kg—around 30 chickens—per square

metre, and say that in circumstances where beak trimming needs to be carried out to

prevent the birds injuring each other, only one third of the beak should be trimmed

"measured from the tip towards the entrance of the nostrils".[68] PETA states that they have

held more than 12,000 demonstrations at KFC outlets since 2003 because of this alleged

mistreatment of chickens by KFC suppliers.[69]

In June 2008, KFC Canada agreed to PETA's demands for better welfare standards, including

favoring suppliers who use controlled-atmosphere killing (CAK) of chickens, and other

welfare standards as well as introducing a vegan sandwich at 65% of its outlets. PETA has

called off its campaign against KFC Canada, but continues to demonstrate against KFC

elsewhere in the world.[70]

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