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KFC Dropped Potato Wedge in Shanghai Brad, I think that most of the criticism is more about the fact that the QSRs have consistently hidden information about exactly how dangerous their food is, have failed to provide consumers with nutritional information and have deliberately targeted very young children in their advertising. Most children under the age of seven are unable to differentiate between a tv advertisement and a normal tv programme. How on earth can these children make informed personal choices? (Yeah, the adults should make informed choices on their behalf, but you know and I know that the world doesn't always work that way.) Having said all that, I also eat at KFC and McD's when I'm busy, so I do understand your argument. What I'd like to know is this (I'm taking McDonald's as an example rather than KFC, because I have never been into a KFC in any place other than mainland China): McDonald's started serving salads and vegetarian burgers in their restaurants in the United Kingdom at least four years ago, possibly longer. (I don't know about the USA.) Yet, I have never seen any salads or vegetarian options being sold in McDonald's in mainland China. I visited Hong Kong in October of this year, and discovered that some Hong Kong restaurants have opened a "McCafe" which can serve sandwiches and other healthier options. Maybe these will arrive in Shanghai sometime soon. I hope so. My feeling is: the fast food restaurants are not adapting to suit the local Chinese tastes. The fast food restaurants are adapting to give slightly healthier options as a result of consumer (and media) pressure, but they are doing it in the west first and then only gradually bringing the changes to China. Why? Possibly because Chinese consumers aren't complaining about how unhealthy the food is as much as western consumers. Or, possibly because the fast food restaurants want to give Chinese consumers long enough to become properly addicted to the unhealthy food before offering alternatives. (Wangjianshuo, sorry for making my first comment such a long one. Hope you don't mind.) |