KFC To Prevent Breast Cancer? Are You Clucking Serious?
Today, I want to take a look at a very touchy, emotionally-charged subject today: preventing breast cancer, along with how to go about funding prevention and education.
Preventing Breast Cancer
I think we all agree that preventing and treating breast cancer is a good thing. We all have moms, sisters, wives, friends, and girlfriends that we want to be as healthy as possible. As such, I think we can all agree that finding the best ways to go about keeping our loved ones healthy is the best solution, while finding effective and efficient treatments is also of high importance.Let’s take a look at a few things that have been in the news lately.
KFC: Pink-Washing
So let’s take a look at the new KFC campaign to make a large contribution to the Susan G. Komen For The Cure Foundation. By selling pink “Buckets For The Cure,” KFC intends to:
“Help make the largest single donation to end breast cancer forever.”
And it’s drawn the ire of pretty much everyone, particularly Breast Cancer Action, a group that is working to improve knowledge about the disease.
Back to KFC…I think we should take a good deep look at the ingredients in KFC’s products. Let’s look at the ingredients for the grilled chicken, which one would presume is fairly healthy. One would be wrong. From KFC’s website:
Fresh Chicken Marinated With Salt, Sodium Phosphate, and Monosodium Glutamate. Seasoned With: Maltodextrin, Salt, Bleached Wheat Flour, Partially Hydrogenated Soybean and Cottonseed Oil, Monosodium Glutamate, Secret Kentucky Grilled Chicken Spices, Palm Oil, Natural Flavor, Garlic Powder, Soy Sauce (Soybean, Wheat, Salt), Chicken Fat, Chicken Broth, Autolyzed Yeast, Beef Powder, Rendered Beef Fat, Extractives of Turmeric, Dehydrated Carrot, Onion Powder, and Not More Than 2% Each of Calcium Silicate and Silicon Dioxide Added As Anticaking Agents.
Remember, this is the supposedly healthy stuff! In fact, very few of the foods on KFC’s menu don’t have partially hydrogenated oils (oddly, one of them is the Extra Crispy Chicken). Between the high levels of omega-6 fats (tied to breast cancer) in KFC’s foods and the trans fats in the partially hydrogenated fats (also tied to breast cancer), it’s similar to selling cigarettes to help prevent lung cancer.
Donations Are Good!
I know at least one of you is starting to steam from the ears and getting ready to unleash holy hell on me to tell me that any kind of donations are good. Don’t get me wrong. I think donating to these causes is a great thing. I think groups that help spread information and understanding about diseases and help people cope with them are great things. But I also think it’s important that we care about where the money comes from. Think back to my comment about selling cigarettes to contribute to lung cancer prevention…would you care about that?
When it comes to making donations, I agree with The Consumerist:
Or, you could make a healthy meal at home and use the money you saved on eating out to make a direct donation to a cancer charity.
I’m willing to bet you can cook your own chicken at home and make a much larger donation than the 50 cents KFC is going to give to Komen and probably still save money. Just remember to not get sucked into corporate marketing when you’re thinking about how to go about donating or which companies to support. Think Before You Pink is another good resource to help you cut through the fluff.
It’s Lifestyle Choices, Not Fast Food
Now that I’ve pointed out the fact that it’s unlikely KFC is going to do one iota of anything to help solve breast cancer, let’s face another fact: KFC is a corporation and, therefore, has one primary goal…making money. We shouldn’t really expect fast food companies to help solve our problems. We have to take that burden on ourselves, individually. I don’t expect anything different out of KFC, McDonald’s, Taco Bell, or any other food manufacturer.
In fact, as a proponent of capitalism, I think for a corporation to not do what makes it the most money is a disservice to its owners (shareholders). I can’t even be mad at KFC about this. And as an even bigger proponent of personal responsibility, our own individual actions have to go to showing companies that we aren’t duped by their marketing or seemingly false shows of concern.
We have to understand that lifestyle can increase the risk of getting certain diseases. Only by recognizing that can we start to make progress. I drive past numerous fast food restaurants daily without ending up with a load of French fries in my hands. It’s all about conscious choices. Of course, there are some genetic variations and certainly there are illnesses that have nothing to do with lifestyle, but for the most part, cancer isn’t one of them. In fact, according to The Mayo Clinic:
Can healthy eating and regular exercise really contribute to breast cancer prevention? So far, the evidence says yes. What’s more, if you combine these risk-reducing habits with limiting your exposure to substances that promote the disease, you’ll benefit even more.
Do you want a shocking statistic? How about this one?
Up to a third of breast cancer cases in Western countries could be avoided if women ate less and exercised more, researchers at a breast cancer conference said today
KFC (or any other fast food), in and of itself, is relatively harmless, so long as it’s a rare occurrence. It’s when your lifestyle revolves around highly processed foods that the damage is insurmountable. Now, we could look at what passes for healthy eating advice to see more ways to solve breast cancer and so many other diseases. The omega-6 thing is a big one…how many people have given up real fats for vegetable oils and vegetable oil-based margarines?
Still don’t believe me that the omega-6 fats are detrimental in the quantities we eat them? What women eat may affect kids, grandkids. Of course, they focus on the term “high fat” (and even throw in “bacon cheeseburger” at the end for good measure), but what they really mean is this:
The risk associated with high-fat diets, especially those high in omega-6 fatty acids….This imbalance has previously been linked to a host of health problems, including depression, infertility, heart disease and, yes, cancer.
Prevent First, Then Treat
“He who cures a disease may be the skillfullest, but he that prevents it is the safest physician.” ~ Thomas Fuller
As with all diseases, the first and best course of action should be prevention. In the instances where it’s too late for prevention, then choosing the best treatments is paramount. That’s where I think groups like Komen come in; first, educate people on how to live to avoid specific diseases and second, help find more effective, less invasive treatments.
Of course, remember that none of what I’m writing today is truly about KFC or breast cancer. KFC just happens to be an easy target and breast cancer is their chosen cause right now. It’s not about blaming people or pointing fingers. It’s about figuring out the best way to spread the information that people need to be healthy and vibrant.
What I’m really getting at is that preventing and treating disease isn’t about expecting a corporation to handle it for us. It’s about making conscious decisions to reduce our risk, as well as taking action ourselves to help treat those that are affected. To expect a corporation to take on that job is naive.
Real Prevention
Maybe some diseases aren’t 100% preventable, but we can and should do everything we can to reduce our risk as much as possible. As The Mayo Clinic pointed out, lifestyle is the best way to reduce your risk of getting any disease. And that comes from eating plenty of Real Food (and even enjoying yourself occasionally with not-so-real food), exercising, getting sun exposure to keep your vitamin D levels high, and getting plenty of sleep.
What do you think? Are we really taking the best course of action available to prevent diseases, not just breast cancer? How can we improve the ways we help people stay healthy and also how we treat those that fall ill?
About Scott
Scott Kustes loves to cook and loves to eat. He started Real Food University to help you get maximum enjoyment out of the meals that you eat. To find out more about how he has rebelled against the fast food culture and counting calories or carbs, join the Real Food Revolution.
22 Reader Comments
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Hey Scott, thanks for addressing this issue…this KFC campaign was really starting to irritate me.Its time to wake up America! Disease doesn’t fall out of the sky and hit us in the head, we are the main contributors.
[...] 3, 2010 Fitness Spotlight has a great post about the controversy that has gotten some media attention surrounding KFC and their new pink [...]
Relevant: http://www.colbertnation.com/full-episodes/thu-april-29-2010-ok-go
Here is the part I think you were referring to instead of the whole episodehttp://www.colbertnation.com/the-colbert-report-videos/308102/april-29-2010/tip-wag—scientists—kfc
Why oh why didn’t I think of that post name?!!!!!I wrote a post on this a while back, too, this is so amazingly stupid it’s hard to believe it’s actually happening.Kelly
[...] KFC for a Cure? [...]
I not only blogged about this, but I contacted the Susan G. Komen foundation to express my outrage with their advertising. I got a lame response saying that KFC also sells grilled chicken and that’s what the Komen foundation is supporting, etc.They don’t really care that they’re pushing fattening food and encouraging obesity. The SGK foundation has become all about the almighty dollar. It kind of makes me sick.
Hilarious! Love Colbert!
Kara,Way to take action! Did you respond to Komen that KFC’s grilled chicken contains ingredients like trans fats?CheersScott
Thanks for this post, Scott! You hit it right on, once again, with the fact that the REAL game is in prevention, not cause marketing! 2/3 of ALL cancers are preventable with proper diet, exercise and avoiding tobacco – in all the health care reform debates, why this fact is not the foundation of new policy boggles the mind.Health is in taking care of ourselves, and that should be the first priority. I really struggle with all of this cause-marketing nonsense…I work for a cancer organization that does some of their own cause-marketing stuff (none so bad as KFC), but it’s still frustrating. And breast cancer doesn’t need any more awareness – it’s the chic cancer for marketing. What we need is more actionable information to press people to make healthier choices. How we pull the behavioral levers to help people make those changes is truly the puzzle of this era in healthcare reform.
David,I couldn’t agree more. It’s a victim mentality that keeps us trapped in a lifestyle of disease.CheersScott
“What we need is more actionable information to press people to make healthier choices. How we pull the behavioral levers to help people make those changes is truly the puzzle of this era in healthcare reform.”Amen to that. Unfortunately…having been in the fitness industry where people KNOW they need to exercise but never take action, it is more a question of what will it take for people to finally wake up and take that action. All the info is out there on how eating and exercise lower disease risks, but no one does much about it. They will wait till their doctor tells them that they need to do something “or else”. Maybe that is where it starts, doctors stop cuddling their patients and tell them the facts (even if it scares them). Another way it to probably is to give people a $ savings incentive (lower health insurance costs?) to be healthier. As sad as that sounds…it is the only way some people will get motivated. as people don’t like spending more money and that pain will motivate them to get healthy.
There would be a much greater pool of money for research and development, upgrading hospitals, aid money and so forth if the government would introduce a fast food tax, similar to alcohol or cigarets.In addition to making the fast food industry pay the money it has the double effect of driving their prices up which makes their food less attractive and makes proper certified organic food more achievable.
I agree with you 100%. While it is great that KFC collects donations to help out with breast cancer, the company as a whole could careless. While many individuals inside the organization care, the company – KFC cares about one thing and one thing only – there bottom line. And, it is a very effective marketing tool.Instead of trying to raise money – they should instead use there own money for healthier food. Same with all other fast food restaurants, including Subway.We need someone like you and I to start a fast food chain. We can start with hard-boiled eggs, beef jerky, raw fruits and veggies, nuts and seeds…
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Thank you for this post! Every time I see this commercial it infuriates me! I think you covered the absurdity of a fast food place that contributes to obesity and cancer donating to a cause that could be prevented with a healthier lifestyle quite well. I have always tried to eat relatively healthy, but cannot deny the standard American diet has sucked me in over the years. I’ve come to realize that those types of food are what make me feel sluggish, depressed and lethargic. I didn’t eat them daily and always have tried to have fresh fruits and veggies. Since reading some other sites similar to yours, I realize that eating any type of processed or fast food is the equivalent to opening my mouth and directly consuming poison. If people thought about junk food in that perspective, perhaps they would hesitate a bit before chowing down on immeninent death.I find it hard not to say things to my friends & family about what they are eating and how they should make time to get more exercise. The best I can do is just give them links to sites about health and lifestyle changes and hope for the best. People have become so defensive about something that is harming them and I am amazed at their reactions. I was happy to have found a little more insight into a very healthy diet; such as bacon, real butter, whole raw milk, grass fed beef, etc. And really, it just makes sense. If it’s natural it’s good for you – if it’s processed, it’s crap!So again, thank you for this site and helping people learn to better themselves with good food and exercise!! Cheers to you!
You hit the nail on the head about we all need to view what we eat as something that directly affects how we feel (and or state of health). We can preach all we want to others, but most have to see for themselves. The best way, is to challenge people to just “eliminate” all the processed foods and sugars for 30 days….and let them see how they feel (better or worse). Only that awareness from within makes the lasting changes. People are defensive because they don’t want others to tell them what to do….but get them to make their own minds up, and transformation happens for the better! After all, it is not about depriving ourselves of anything…but rather making positive choices for our health….then all else doesn’t seem important.
If you are making the changes and becoming healthier you become a walking talking reminder to your circle of friends that health and fitness can really improve your life. The reality is that most are in a comfort zone with deeply ingrained habits and large waist lines. Every time you see these friends there can be some envy and resentment as you remind them that they could have done something but chose not to.It is really hard to push a piece of string in the direction that you want, but you can pull it easily where ever you want. Lead by example. Live a great fun life doing exciting active things and invite them along.Sometimes when you make a change in life you need to change who you associate with as well. If you want to have a great healthy life then stop hanging out with the drinking croud or only catch up with them through the week for lunch. Get together with some like minded people moving in the same direction as you. Eat out at organic cafes, join a community gardening group, start some outdoor group training & commit to some active events.
Scott – I just came up with a new name for one of their “healthy foods” – the Extra Creepy Chicken. So much for KFC.But they have a good PR department, that’s for sure.Yavor
[...] may think twice about that when you read what is in their chicken HERE. Do you frequently fall for the marketing schemes out there? Be smart…do your research on [...]
I thought the whole ‘pink washing”, as you called it, was a bit overboard as well, but I bought a bucket instead of what I originally planned on buying. I hope they are giving a good percentage of the profits to cancer research!
Only 50 cents per bucket, unfortunately. But I suppose if you are already planning on eating KFC, it’s better to buy the bucket than not.CheersScott