Former Baywatch star Pamela Anderson is calling for a boycott of KFC, the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) has announced.
Anderson narrates a new 5-minute video produced by the animal rights group that documents the mistreatment of chickens.
"I'm asking people to boycott KFC until the company demands that its suppliers stop crippling chickens and scalding them alive," Anderson said in a statement. "No
animals should have to suffer this way, whether they're cats or dogs or chickens."
A 30-second version of the video will be made into TV and radio ads that PETA will spend USD 1,00,000 to place in major U.S. Media markets, the group said yesterday.
The video, in which Anderson says the secret recipe to KFC chicken is cruelty, can be viewed at http://www.KentuckyFriedCruelty.Com, a PETA Web site.
The video features footage shot last June recording alleged mistreatment of birds at a Pilgrim's Pride Corp. Plant in Moorefield, West Virginia. The plant is a KFC
supplier.
Yum! Brands, the parent company of KFC, disputes the claims of mistreatment.
"We have an independent panel of outside experts who set our high standards," Yum! Vice President Jonathan Blum has said. "They are the same standards that all our
competitors use to ensure human treatment around the country."
The 37-year-old actress, a vegetarian, and other celebrities - including Russell Simmons and the Beastie Boys - have previously joined PETA campaigns against KFC.
Thursday, April 28, 2005 15:35 IST