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KFC's $500 gift cards spark outrage as Australia battles obesity crisis

By Super Admin
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Google Oneindia News

Melbourne, Dec 12 (ANI): KFC has outraged health experts in Queensland by offering Christmas gift cards worth up to 500 dollars.

The fast-food giant's outlets have been promoting the cards, ranging in value from 10 to 500 dollars and to be used within 12 months, as a "thoughtful gift idea for any occasion".

A 500 dollars card could purchase a fat banquet of 14 buckets of "Original Recipe" chicken pieces, containing 4.5kg of fat and 1.8kg of saturated fat; 63 maxi serves of "Popcorn Chicken" (2.8kg of fat and 1.25kg saturated fat) or 78 "Original Works Burgers" (1.6kg fat, 592g saturated fat).

The "tasty new gift idea" has attracted outrage and disbelief from health experts in Queensland struggling to combat a growing obesity epidemic.

Queensland is struggling to combat a growing obesity epidemic as about 55 per cent of adult and about a quarter of children aged five to 17, are considered obese or overweight.

Rob Moodie of the Preventative Health Taskforce said he was shocked when he learned about KFC's latest marketing ploy.

"It's marketing gone berserk. This stuff is fine if it's just once a month. But if it's twice a week, or 500 dollar a year, it's completely different," News.com.au quoted him as saying.

Trudy Williams, Brisbane-based nutritionist and dietician said the gift cards were "worrying".

"There are much healthier choices that parents could be guiding their kids with, like a voucher to go indoor rock-climbing or sports gear. Clearly, we're eating far too much food as it is, she said.

Williams said parents should think twice about fast-food Christmas treats.

"Certainly, the rates of obesity in kids appear to be increasing. Parents are really bad judgers of whether their child is overweight or not. They're too close to the coalface, particularly if they are overweight themselves," she added. (ANI)

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