Gift cards from fast food joints cause outrage among health experts

By Dr. Ananya Mandal, MDDec 12 2010

As Australia battles with the obesity epidemic, fast food outlet KFC has raised eyebrows from health quarters by offering Christmas gift cards worth up to $500. A survey of fast-food outlets in Hobart’s CBD yesterday revealed gift vouchers were available at McDonald’s, KFC and Subway.

They have been selling cards, ranging in value from $10 to $500 and to be used within 12 months, as a “thoughtful gift idea for any occasion”. This “tasty new gift idea” drew flak from health experts in Queensland. Experts said that nearly 55 per cent of adult Queenslanders, and about a quarter of children aged five to 17, are considered obese or overweight. Also nearly 60 people are diagnosed with type 2 diabetes every day around the state - a condition linked to obesity.

Preventative Health Taskforce chair Professor Rob Moodie expressed his outrage at the idea saying, “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 a year, it’s completely different.” He said that parents were having a tough time as it is to teach children proper eating habits and now this. He added, “We know that advertising for fast food just works. Never before in the history of man has so much food been made so available for so many. We’re shoving more calories down our throats than ever before.” Brisbane-based nutritionist and dietician Trudy Williams found the development “worrying” adding, “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.” About parents fighting obesity in kids she said, “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.”

Diabetes Australia Queensland CEO Michelle Trute also condemned the idea saying, “I would still remind people that food like KFC is occasional food… Having a gift certificate that you know you can redeem at any time just makes it easy to make bad choices.” Diabetes Tasmania chief executive Caroline Wells echoed these thoughts saying, “It is increasing access to foods that we already have too much of, so I think it sends out the wrong message to people… I think it is really sad and an indictment that as a society we would have these out there that people would consider a suitable gift.”

KFC has not responded to these statements yet.