KFC’s Candid CSR Exec Dishes on Chicken

Kudos to KFC.

I generally have a bone to pick with fast food brands on sustainability issues, on everything from workers’ rights and marketing to kids, to health concerns, agriculture practices, and animal welfare.

Not this time.

Check out this surprisingly candid interview by 2Degrees’ Tom Idle with Ian Hagg, who is KFC’s head of corporate and social responsibility in the UK.

How can KFC be a responsible business when you are fuelling child obesity?’ The chicken business responds

Refreshing in its acknowledgement that there is still a long way to go – “we’ve only been managing our CSR in a joined-up way for the last four years” – the UK and Ireland arm of the company has just issued its very first CSR update. Inside the swanky offices of its London PR agency, I caught up with head of CSR, Ian Hagg to find out what the chicken business is actually doing to make a difference – and why it is so far behind the likes of McDonald’s in communicating its efforts to the masses.

KFC exec Ian Hagg hits every single one of these topics without flinching.

Admittedly, my bar for what constitutes honest communication from fast food brands is pretty low, but he really surprised me by saying that “KFC is a treat.”

A treat! Not for every day, or more than once a day.

Based on what we know about fast food and junk food business strategy, I simply can’t imagine a U.S. exec saying anything like that.