A KFC Zinger Burger was once my go-to fast-food treat – but this week details of the company’s actions have left a nasty taste in my mouth.
It has emerged that since 2017, the firm has challenged the obesity policies of at least 43 local councils in England and Wales who wanted to stop takeaways being opened near their schools.
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In more than half the cases, KFC managed to force councils to abandon or water down their plans, arguing there wasn’t enough evidence for a direct link between nearby takeaways and classroom obesity.
Perfect for Colonel Sanders and the thousands of other chicken shop bosses across the country, but not so great for those of us trying to keep our kids as healthy as possible.
NHS figures show that children are getting fatter. By the time they go to secondary school, almost a quarter of them are obese.
In Wakefield, West Yorks — one of the areas where the council battles took place — some 40 per cent of their kids are obese or overweight in their final year of primary.
And overweight patients are now costing our economy £100billion a year.
No parent ever wants their child to be overweight. We want them to live long and full lives, get better exam results and be able to run around with their friends without gasping for breath because of obesity.
We also want them to have a treat, which often means a Bargain Bucket or Twister Wrap.
Let’s face it, we love KFC so much that in 2018 it was described as a “crisis” when it ran out of chicken and had to shut up shop.
Business is huge
So if there is no good reason for a new outlet not to be there, then they should open.
But when our children are faced with parades full of fast-food restaurants near their school gates, how do parents stop a treat from becoming an everyday habit?
And when the Colonel strides into town, it can set a precedent and allow the knock-off chicken shops to follow in his footsteps.
The ones trying to rip off his recipe.
The ones selling portions at pocket money-friendly £1 prices — with a free can of sugar-filled pop chucked into a meal deal.
And it is these fast-food businesses which have started to overtake our high streets and neighbourhoods, especially in economically deprived areas.
In some parts of the country the chicken shop business is huge.
One survey suggested that in East London, there were 42 chicken shops for each secondary school, and in Kilburn, in the North West of the capital, there was a chicken shop every 100 metres.
Chicken can be cheap, these businesses can make a 70 per cent profit, so clustering around schools, knowing that hungry kids are a captive market, is a perfect plan.
No parent — nor the best-intentioned Government campaign — can compete with that.
And they can’t compete with the tempting smell of fried chicken because we know it can taste “finger lickin’ good”.
But that cheap, quick fix for a hungry schoolkid is fuelling an obesity timebomb that their own children could be paying for in years to come.
Crime pays plenty
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FOOTBALLERS may have a lot more than the rest of us but they certainly don’t deserve to be open targets for burglars who know they are going to get away scot-free.
Raheem Sterling, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Jesse Lingard, Paul Pogba and Ashley Cole have all been through horrific, terrifying burglaries.
The latest victim is Kurt Zouma, whose home was burgled on the eve of last weekend’s Premier League clash with Crystal Palace while the captain and his young family were in the house.
The burglars nicked both expensive and sentimental belongings so West Ham have stumped up a £25,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and prosecution of the thieves who raided the house, which is commendable.
But it makes me wonder – where on Earth are the police?
Last year cops failed to solve three quarters of burglaries and car thefts.
There were a whopping 214,076 burglaries in England and Wales, or 587 a day, that went unsolved in the year to June 2023.
And just six per cent of break-ins resulted in a burglary suspect being charged or summoned to court.
What an utter disgrace. Is it any wonder that people turn to crime? It’s the easiest job in the UK.
Beyond brave
MY heart goes out to the parents of seven-year-old William Brown, who was killed in a hit-and-run in Folkestone when he went to retrieve his football.
His distraught mum Laura said she hoped he did not suffer, and she and his dad, also William, pleaded with the driver to come forward, saying: “William Junior was a beautiful boy and he believed in forgiveness and love and peace.
“We already forgive you. If it’s you, you’re feeling guilty – but we really need to know so we can lay our son in peace and know what happened to him.”
Hours later a man was arrested then bailed.
It truly takes an amazing, brave person, doesn’t it, to say that they can forgive another for driving off, leaving their son fighting for life.
Gallagher brothers at the fag end of fashion
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MANCHESTER went nuts for Chanel when the fashion house chose an unassuming street in the city’s Northern Quarter for its annual Metiers d’Art show.
Jenna Coleman, Kristen Stewart, Tilda Swinton and Laura Bailey were there, plus Lennon and Gene Gallagher, whose dad Liam grew up in the city.
But the lads were both smoking – indoors. I thought that wasn’t actually fashionable these days.
Joey’s just a joke
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JOEY BARTON says female pundits are unqualified to talk about men’s football.
He personally targeted BBC presenter Alex Scott MBE, claiming she “isn’t qualified to talk with any authority about the men’s game”.
He said it was “like me talking about knitting or netball” and added that he “cannot take seriously” any woman who has an opinion.
A couple of matters which are, undoubtedly, serious.
The former footballer got put behind bars for common assault and affray after punching a man 20 times, was given a four-month suspended sentence after an attack which left a team-mate with a detached retina, and last year the delightful ex-con was cleared of assaulting his wife Georgia, who rang 999 saying: “My husband has just hit me in the house.”
Surely he should learn to keep his mouth shut after being sacked in October by Bristol Rovers days after labelling a rival boss “a fat man”.
I hope Alex and her colleagues are having a good laugh about this shameless idiot – knowing that he’ll always be more GBH than MBE.
THE cost of Christmas has risen to £1,800 per household, which is nearly three times more than 30 years ago, thanks to – mainly – spending a fortune on presents.
Research shows that homes in Manchester, where I live, are actually the most lavish, with £2,274.80 of outgoings.
But I’m going to save this year after reading that Coleen Rooney and hubby Wayne don’t buy presents for each other.
She rightly says it’s all about the kids – so I’ve scrubbed The Geordie off my present list.
A POLL by Rightmove has found that the borough of Richmond (southern, not north) is described as Britain’s happiest place to live by residents.
Yes it has parks, attractions, restaurants and good schools. But also, the average house price is £952,305.
It would put a smile on my face if I could afford to live there.
