Kentucky Fried Headless Chicken

KFC Canada seeks to cut costs, increase profitability

TORONTO, January 27 (CNFI) - KFC Canada announced today that it has undertaken the development of a new breed of headless and footless chicken, in an effort to increase the yield of edible meat. The purpose of this venture is to reduce operating costs and increase profitability at its 750 KFC restaurants across Canada.

"No part of a chicken's head is fit for human consumption, and chicken feet are typically not eaten as part of a North American diet," explained Lange Steppenford, chief research scientist at KFC Canada. "As a result, these parts of the chicken do not yield any significant revenue. The head and feet are typically severed during processing, and either discarded or converted to animal feed. The rest of the chicken is then used to produce the portions that we serve in our restaurants."

Other inefficiencies arise during farming of traditional breeds of chicken. Birds with feet require more space to move around, reducing the number of birds that can be raised on a given parcel of land. Birds with heads have beaks, which are often used to attack other birds, resulting in injuries that reduce the quality of meat.

"A headless, footless chicken would just sit there," said Steppenford. "There are no risks to other nearby birds."

The company also wishes to stave off potential safety and liability issues associated with undesirable chicken body parts. In November 2000, a woman in Newport News, Virginia reportedly purchased a box of chicken wings at McDonald's and discovered a breaded, fried chicken head mixed in with the wings. It is unclear whether this incident was a hoax, but KFC Canada is not taking any chances.

"At KFC restaurants in Canada, safety is the number one priority and all chicken is handled with care throughout the preparation and cooking process," said Steppenford. "Eliminating the head and feet at the source is just one more way that you can trust KFC chicken to be safe and delicious."

KFC Canada does anticipate some negative reaction by animal rights activists. The company is quick to point out that it strongly supports the Chicken Farmers of Canada's animal welfare initiatives, and that it has a strict zero-tolerance policy to ensure the ethical treatment of animals. Canadian chicken farmers follow the Codes of Practice for the Care and Handling of Poultry, which is a series of guidelines for the chicken industry.

When development of the new breed of chicken is complete, KFC Canada will provide the technology to its suppliers. The company purchases its chicken directly from certified Canadian chicken processors who follow strict standards set by the Canadian government. The company does not have its own chicken farms or its own processing facilities.

Canadian News Feed International

Comments

Deb said…
I'm not falling for that one.

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