The pandemic has affected the food industry in big ways, sometimes tragic ones. And then there are lesser effects.
Such as:
Kentucky Fried Chicken has decided to pause using its "finger-lickin' good" slogan because ... well, that's probably not the best idea right now.
Several months after health officials recommended everyone stop touching their faces to help stop the spread of coronavirus, KFC said Monday that the 64-year-old slogan "doesn't feel quite right."
I can take fried chicken or leave it. That said, being the squeamish type, I never related to “finger-lickin’ good” as much of an enticement. It mostly means the food is greasy.
In any case, if KFC or any other purveyor of fried chicken really wants to stop people from touching their faces during eating, maybe they should switch to Nashville-style hot chicken. Encased in breading that’s loaded with cayenne pepper, it is reportedly (I’ve never tried it) lethal, as described in a New Yorker article: “First-timers have been advised to prepare for hot chicken by putting a roll of toilet paper in the freezer at home.”
That article describes how hot chicken serves as a deterrent to face-touching, as recounted by the owner of Prince’s, the Nashville joint that claims to have originated the stuff: she “still talks about the customer who made the mistake of wiping his eyes with his fingers – he knocked over furniture in his agonized rush to reach the bathroom faucet.”
So there’s your new slogan: “Hot Chicken: It’s COVID-Lickin’ Good.”
Pan Demetrakakes is a Senior Editor for Food Processing and has been a business journalist since 1992, mostly covering various aspects of the food production and supply chain, including processing, packaging, distribution and retailing. Learn more about him or contact him
