Is KFC Bad for your Health? Essay

For our assignment, we will identify the ethical issues of a worldwide fast food restaurant which is Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC). Based on the news and articles that we found from the website related to KFC, it is all about KFC involved in a food poisoning case and fined $8 million for the case in 2012. (CBS Interactive Inc., 2016) (Appendix 1) After we analysed those news and articles, we found that there is an ethical issue in this case which is KFC is putting own interests ahead of organisation.
According to article by CPR Insurance Services (2011), it state that a little girl from Sydney collapsed and was admitted to hospital after eating a chicken 'Twister' wrap with her family members at Villawood KFC in October 2006. Monika Samaan was only 7 years old at that time when she suffered septic shock, severe brain damage, spastic quadriplegia and organ system failure caused by a salmonella infection. All members of the Monika's family, except her grandmother, also became ill resulting from sharing Monika's Twister. However, none of them are as severe as Monika. She was in a coma for 6 months. She also became unable to speak and have to rely on wheelchair for the rest of her life.
Steward (2016) notes that Monika is now permanently disabled due to salmonella infection and KFC's negligence. Hence, the Court awarded Monika $8 million plus legal costs as KFC shall be liable for the negligence of their employees. (CPR Insurance Services, 2011) Monika's lawyer, George Vlahakis said that Monika's critical disability and brain damage has already spent the very limited resources of her family. Moreover, Monika is now a teenager and her parents are finding it more and more difficult to lift her and to look after her basic needs as well as take care of her younger siblings. (News Corp, 2015)
This issues has been questioned the quality of a KFC product. (FOXNEWS, 2015) A local NGO of Australia has declared that the products of KFC were insecure for consumption. President of Andhra Pradesh Child Rights Association, Anuradha Rao verified that lab tests conducted by Bala Hakkula Sangham, have proved that KFC products are harmful. The result of the tests has shown KFC products contains harmful substances such as E Coli and Salmonella (bacteria).The experiment were tested at a Telangana government laboratory. (Zee Media Corporation Ltd, 2015) It has shown how KFC neglected the health of their customers and this is a very irresponsible and unethical behavior.
In addition, the employees of KFC did not followed the food safety rules to prepare food for customers. If they prepare the food by following correct procedures, the salmonella cells in the Twister wrap was impossible. Next, the Court also noticed there was evidence of 'aberrant behaviour' by employees which means the Twister wrap was likely that there had been cross-contamination of the chicken pieces after cooking, by contact with flour or other dipping material used previously on the raw chicken. (CPR Insurance Services, 2011)