The daily headlines about bird flu are sending a shockwave through the fast food industry. Kentucky Fried Chicken, in particular, is preparing a public relations blitz to convince consumers their food is safe.
The KFC campaign will explain how its chickens are handled and tested, reassuring consumers that tainted birds never make it through the screening process, according to an article in Advertising Age.
Parent company Yum Brands told the trade publication it's bracing for a 20 percent drop in sales if infected birds, wild or domestic, are found in the U.S. The magazine says demand for chicken has already plunged as much as 40 percent in Europe and Asia.
The U.S. poultry industry maintains eating its birds is perfectly safe and the U.S. Department of Agriculture agrees.
If high pathogenicity avian influenza (HPAI) were detected in the U.S., the chance of infected poultry entering the food chain would be extremely low, according to the USDAs Food Safety and Inspection Service.
Nevertheless, proper handling and cooking of poultry provides protection against HPAI, as it does against other viruses and bacteria, including Salmonella and E.coli.
