WEDNESDAY, JUNE 23, 2004
BUSINESS
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
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Low-carb campaigns mislead consumers
Ads put out by fast-food companies and beer vendors may give wrong impression
By Jay Senter
jsenter@Kansan.com
Kansan staff writer
The two joggers make their way around a track. Fit, trim and attractive, the man and woman make eyes at one another with each pass. Finally, their work out over, it's time for the two to meet over a relaxing reward: a fitness-friendly, low-carbohydrate bottle of Michelob Ultra.
Recently, a series of ad campaigns for fast food and alcoholic beverages have played upon the anti-carbohydrate hysteria of Atkins dieters.
But if the concept of a fitness-friendly bottle of beer or a healthy bucket of KFC strikes you as oxymoronic, you aren't alone — the Federal Trade Commission agrees.
This month, the FTC instructed KFC to pull a series of ads that portrayed its product as a way to start eating a healthier, low-carbohydrate diet. KFC kicked off the campaign last October. In a press release at the time, Scott Bergren, KFC's Executive Vice President of marketing and food, wrote that people "should no longer feel
guilty about eating fried chicken."
Consumers will be surprised to learn they can enjoy fried chicken as part of a healthy, balanced diet."
Part of the basis for the ad campaign was that a meal from KFC contained less fat than a Whopper from Burger King.
Citing an interest in preventing misleading advertising from reaching health-conscious consumers, the FTC followed through on a complaint made against KFC by the Center for Science in Public Interest, and banned the ads.
While the KFC campaign may be the most egregious example of playing upon the carbohydrate-fueled fears of consumers, it is by no means alone.
Burger King recently introduced breadless burgers, substituting lettuce leaves for buns.
McDonald's new "Go Active! Adult Happy Meals" feature "Premium Salads" instead of hamburgers.
And Miller and Coors have launched their own low-carbohydrate promotion campaigns.
But whether these campaigns actively mislead the public is another matter.
Public relations and nutrition experts say that portraying fast food and alco
"I think that really does a disservice to people. Alcohol goes against every principle that we would espouse for nutrition and exercise."
Ann Chapman
hol consumption as healthy nutrition choices raises ethical concerns.
Coordinator of nutrition services at Watkins Memorial Health Center
Charles Marsh, associate professor of journalism, said the tactics employed in the KFC ad campaign might threaten more than the chain's reputation.
"The ads just strained credulity so much," Marsh said. "Consumers are not stupid people. Eventually, if there is no bang behind the buck, we are going to notice that, and not going to go back."
Ann Chapman, coordinator of nutrition services at Watkins Memorial Health Center, said Michelob's ads portraying its Ultra beer as a fitness-friendly choice were troublesome.
people," Chapman said. "Alcohol goes against every principle that we would espouse for nutrition and exercise."
Chapman said beer was a potentially harmful choice for athletes because alcohol didn't provide vitamins or minerals, and it tended to be dehydrating.
"It is certainly not a good choice before you go take a jog," she said. "And when you come back, to quench your thirst and to take care of dehydration, alcohol would be the worst choice."
Whether the FTC's decision on the KFC campaign will be an isolated event or a signal of a coming crackdown remains to be seen.
Regardless, consumers will have to continue to sift though statements made about the health benefits of lowcarbohydrate products.
"There is a fine line between misleading statements and outright lies," Chapman said. "The companies ride that fine line. If they can make a statement that may be a little misleading that can sell their product, I don't think they hesitate."
"I think that really does a disservice to — Edited By Erik Johnson