Can Eating Junk Food Cure Breast Cancer?

by Anne Landman — April 21, 2010 - 2:12pm
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KFC "Buckets for the Cure"When a company promotes pink-ribboned products and claims to care about breast cancer while also selling products linked to disease or injury, it's called pinkwashing, and it's has taken some pretty outrageous forms in the last few years. Ford, Mercedes and BMW have all urged people to buy and drive cars in the name of breast cancer, but exhaust from internal combustion engines contains toxic chemicals linked to disease. The Yoplait yogurt company sold pink-lidded yogurt to raise money for breast cancer, while manufacturing products with milk from cows stimulated by the artificial hormone RBGH, which studies show increases the risk of breast cancer. (Some yogurt companies, including Yoplait, have stopped using RGBH.) There's even a breast cancer awareness gun, and we thought that took the cake.

"Buckets for the Cure"

Now KFC is offering a new example of pinkwashing: selling pink buckets of fried chicken to "end breast cancer forever." In an ironic twist, KFC's "Buckets for the Cure" campaign urges people to buy buckets of unhealthy food to help cure a disease that kills women. The American Institute for Cancer Research says there is "convincing evidence" that excess body fat increases the risk of postmenopausal breast cancer. Obesity is also tied to shorter survival rates for women who develop breast cancer. Like most fast food chains, KFC has an overwhelming presence in communities known to have poor health outcomes, and the Susan G. Komen Foundation certainly must know that such social inequities effect breast cancer mortality rates. Given all this, "Buckets for the Cure" is a particularly disturbing pinkwashing partnership.

Cause Marketing Strikes Again

KFC's new "Double Down"KFC's new "Double Down"Companies team up with non-profits to engage in these kids of feel-good "cause marketing" campaigns to enhance public perception of their company and brands while also boosting sales. Given its timing, KFC may also be using the "Buckets for the Cure" campaign to offset the introduction of its amazing "Double Down," a deep-fried sandwich consisting of two pieces of fried chicken breast wrapped around cheese and bacon strips. The "original recipe" version of KFC's Double Down contains 32 grams of fat and 1,380 milligrams of sodium. A feel-good, anti-cancer campaign could be just the ticket to take attention away from this contribution to the obesity epidemic. KFC has also been struggling of late against other fast food outlets to keep its market share.

For every pink, five-dollar bucket of chicken it sells, KFC promises they will donate 50 cents to fight breast cancer. Imagine how much more good it could do if people skipped the fried chicken (or other pinked gimmick) and gave the entire amount they would have spent on it directly to breast cancer research.

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Let's not make this blog a platform of anti-publicicty

Submitted by Buying Meat Online (not verified) on November 2, 2010 - 3:11am.

It's good that the author has brought such an interesting fact to our view, but some comments appear to be made to anti-publicize products. I too condemn pinkwashing but the consumers should be left alone to make their independent choice. we all know cigarette smoking is injurious to health and its also mentioned on the covers(no pinkwashing) but still the sale is huge. At least chicken is less harmful than nicotine.

Gift horse

Submitted by Mary Mary Q (not verified) on October 15, 2010 - 6:59am.

Way to look a gift horse in the mouth. Some people never happy with ANYTHING. I see the irony here, but seriously, get a life. Don't like the food? Don't buy it, don't eat it. Want to raise money yourself? Figure out a way to do that, but don't give a company a hard time for donating money to help a cause that actually needs the money! In the land of cupcakes and rainbows everyone would open their pocketbooks and give all they can directly to every good cause out there. In real life we know that doesn't happen. You and I both know that no one is running out to KFC to buy chicken with the hope of curing breast cancer. If someone is buying it anyway, then what is the harm in KFC donating some of the money to a good cause? Why bash companies that are actually trying to help? I guess you'd be happier with them donating nothing and still slinging their fast food. Seriously. You are being shortsighted in my opinion.

Joe Camel says "Smoking is Good for You"

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on April 28, 2010 - 6:24pm.

Come on folks - the whole idea of KFC donating money to breast cancer research is even more absurd than Joe Camel donating money for lung cancer. Yes - everyone has a right to choose whatever they eat - but let's face facts: Eating fried dead animal products is simply not going to be healthy for anyone and for a company that sells this junk to people (including women and children) is very sad and disreputable indeed.

Can't be

Submitted by Ed H (not verified) on May 1, 2010 - 7:43pm.

If it tastes good, it can't be good for you. Nice PR for KFC but not quite the same as donating directly.

Please us end this partnership

Submitted by Carri Craver (not verified) on April 28, 2010 - 2:40pm.

Encouraging people to eat unhealthy food as a way to help eliminate breast cancer is insane. Please join our group dedicated to ending this terribly misguided partnership that only helps KFC by lending Komen's (once) good name to their unhealthy brand. We are encouraging people to instead donate to Breast Cancer Action.

http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=120671484615719

Pinkwashing and KFC

Submitted by P. Hawkes (not verified) on April 25, 2010 - 3:31pm.

Thank you so much!!! I will make sure that this piece gets read by as many women as will see it at my CURVES club. We are all conscience of our health and all want to support a Cure, but you summed up for me the best choice we can make in your last paragraph -- which I highlighted in my copy of this article.

"For every pink, five-dollar bucket of chicken it sells, KFC promises they will donate 50 cents to fight breast cancer. Imagine how much more good it could do if people skipped the fried chicken (or other pinked gimmick) and gave the entire amount they would have spent on it directly to breast cancer research."

I detest the victimization of consumers who fall for this particular marketing scheme.

Better ways

Submitted by Ken on selling bad health to kids (not verified) on April 25, 2010 - 10:37am.

There are better ways they could help, like a reduction in advertising or perhaps just closing shop.

Yoplait

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on April 25, 2010 - 4:36am.

The Yoplait web site says their cows aren't treated with rBST/rBGH. See http://www.yoplait.com/health_rbst.aspx

Contributing to cancer campaigns? I think there's a better way

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on April 24, 2010 - 9:12am.

Hmm. Not sure I want to contribute to organizations who create such alliances like those with KFC and such.

REAL PREVENTION
In fact THE best cancer prevention (besides plain ole' healthy eating and living) is maintaining proper vitamin D levels. Having a Vitamin D blood level of 40 or above has shown to reduce breast cancer (as well as colon cancer and maybe others as testing goes on) by 78%.) Testing continues and if the results of these tests continue along the same arc, more vitamin D may increase that prevention figure even more.

Breast cancer virtually “eradicated” with higher levels of vitamin D
http://healthfreedoms.org/2010/02/11/breast-cancer-virtually-eradicated-with-higher-levels-of-vitamin-d/

BIGGER QUESTIONS
What aren't these breast cancer prevention campaigns focused on making sure everyone knows about the significance of VitaD on cancer and are getting tested and supplementing (which costs about $0.05 a day or less)

VIDEO
Vitamin D Prevents Cancer: Is It True?
http://www.ucsd.tv/search-details.aspx?showID=16940

ARTICLES
Is vitamin D deficiency casting a cloud over your health?
http://www.womentowomen.com/healthynutrition/vitamind.aspx
Vitamin D Scientists’ Call to Action Statement
http://www.grassrootshealth.net/documentation-scientistscall

KFC cure for cancer

Submitted by SLBJosh (not verified) on April 22, 2010 - 8:54am.

I read your article and I think the author has read to much into the KFC for cure. Susan G. Komen foundation is not selling KFC, what I got out of the commercial is that KFC is donating money to SGK for finding the cure for cancer. When you buy a pink bucket so much of the proceeds go to SGK, just like when you donate money to walk a mile for SGK. Also when you see the commercial KFC has their grilled chicken in the bucket, so that to me says they are promoting healthy eating. I don't think it's idiotic to raise money for cancer research no matter who does it. How can the author say what causes cancer, I know people who don't eat meat only vegetables and live a healthy lifestyle and still die of cancer, also I see people with unhealthy lifestyles die of cancer. If we knew what causes cancer then we surely would have a cure. Sometimes you have to think outside the box.