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This is certainly a milestone for Nepal; the market so far has been untouched by global brands of stature like KFC and Pizza Hut. Excited customers lined up for hours to get a taste of American fast food, showing the level of anticipation and expectation Nepalese customers have from these two brands.
The grand opening came at a time when Nepal was caught up in a big controversy over animal rights and what is acceptable in the name of religion when it comes to the treatment of animals. The Gadhimai Festival – an erstwhile little-known festival where a mass sacrifice of animals is performed once every five years – further fueled the animal rights debate, which had begun during the Dashain Festival. During Dashain too, animal sacrifice is common.
Tens of thousands of animals were killed during the Gadhimai festival, mercilessly murdered to please Gadhimai, the goddess of power. Devotees, expecting special blessings from the divine, turned into murderers. Rightfully, the world took notice and many Nepalese – who had long ignored the event – refused to stay silent this time around.
But the outrage over Gadhimai is actually a cruel irony, because the same animal rights advocates and citizens who looked at the mass animal sacrifice event as an abomination stayed silent when KFC opened its doors in the heart of Kathmandu.
According to People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, the way KFC treats chickens is also an abomination. “Roughly 1 billion chickens killed each year for KFC's buckets are crammed by the tens of thousands into excrement-filled sheds that stink of ammonia fumes,” the animal rights organizations says.
“The birds’ legs and wings often break because they’re bred to be too top-heavy and because workers carelessly shove them into transport crates and shackles. Chickens’ throats are slit and the animals are dropped into tanks of scalding-hot water to remove their feathers, often while they are still conscious and able to feel pain.”
KFC has so far managed to deflect blame by setting up animal welfare committees, whose recommendations fall on deaf ears, and other gimmicks. Animal lovers in Nepal do not see, or do not want to see, the truth behind KFC. Local media is playing a big role in furthering this ignorance.
In a most shameful, unethical display of co-opted journalism, some Nepalese publications shed all journalistic principles and acted as public relations agents for the new fast-food chains. Their coverage of the KFC and Pizza Hut openings read like press releases from the companies.
No one mentioned KFC's history of animal abuse, nor did they include the impact these fast-food companies could have on the health and wellbeing of Nepalese consumers.
It is no secret that fast foods like those served by KFC and Pizza Hut are detrimental to health. They are high in fat and sodium content and could contribute to heart disease and obesity. Of course consumers have personal responsibility to make smart choices, but journalists also have the responsibility to bring out relevant facts so that people are informed. The publications that chose to be PR agents rather than journalists clearly violated the people's right to information.
KFC and Pizza Hut have invested approximately US$1.45 million in Nepal. For a cash-strapped nation and to Kathmandu’s youngsters looking for jobs, it seems like a good deal. But at what cost? KFC’s chickens will be flown in all the way from Brazil, and most of the other materials used in the restaurants will be imported. For the two chains, reportedly only the buns are going to be made in Nepal.
Providing jobs for about 100 people, sponging off Kathmandu’s disposable income, and adding more healthcare woes – for now, this is what KFC and Pizza Hut are doing for Nepal.
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(Bhumika Ghimire is a freelance reporter. Her articles have been published at OhMyNews, NepalNews, Toward Freedom, Telegraph Nepal, Himal South Asian and ACM Ubiquity. She is also a regular contributor to News Front Weekly, in Kathmandu, and Nepal Abroad, in Washington D.C. She can be reached at bhumika_g@yahoo.com. ©Copyright Bhumika Ghimire.)
