KFC launches The Double – the sandwich that replaces bread with chicken
KFC is to launch its controversial Double Down snack in Australia on Wednesday.
The snack launched in the US last year where it was dubbed “the unhealthiest sandwich ever” but was also a major marketing success with a planned six week shelf life extended on the back of strong sales.
Featuring no bread or salad, it sandwiches two types of cheese and bacon between two pieces of chicken.
The product – renamed for Australia as The Double, rather than Double Down, is being marketed as “the ultimate manfood”. It will be backed by a month of marketing activity targeting KFC’s mile customer base labelled “The month of mantime”.
A mailout went to KFC’s cutomer base today telling them:
“There are no equivalents here, The Double IS the man. It’s the burger that says NO to bread buns and HELL YES to double fresh breast fillet, rasher bacon, double cheese, double awesome!”
Nutritional information on The Double is not yet available on KFC’s Australian website, but the US version lists it as amounting to 540 calories (2268kJ) and containing 32g of fat. At present KFC’s chicken cheeseburgers contain 19.6g of fat.
The launch is likely to put renwed focus on the issue of responsible marketing in Australia by fast food companies. Although there is a Quick Service Restaurant Industry code of conduct administered by the Advertising Standards Bureau, it only covers responsible marketing to children.
Among the first to experience The Double in Australia was Chaser Chas Licciardello who custom ordered one last year and tweeted the moment.
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Did Chas get paid for that? If not, he should have. Someone should pay for the heart surgery.
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just had a heart attack from looking at the pics
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Please, you can order plenty of burgers from McD’s and Hungry Jack’s with more fat than this.
Yes, it’s a ludicrous menu addition but it’s not the unhealthiest thing you can buy these days.
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Surely this is as bad as selling cigarettes?
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i got really excited for the double down when it came out in the states, but was let down by the sogginess–i expected something nice and crispy! now that i live in oz, i have high hopes that “the double” will delight, since you guys generally serve better quality food. now, when will kfc’s signature buttermilk biscuits (think scones, but more buttery/flaky) grace australian menus?!
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Awesome.
Now the rest of you – stop moralising the dirty bird.
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I saw ads for a Burger King “Back Porch Burger” when in Miami. And the size of people’s back porches there made me think it was a sucess.
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It’s April 1st already?
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I don;t know if it’s because it’s before ten in the morning, or if this product is just completely vomit-inducing full stop…but I feel sick as a dog just looking at it.
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Just so long as the fatties don’t try blaming their size on ‘glands’, ‘genes’ or the fact that ‘I just look at food and put on weight’.
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I love the idea of this product. Doing away with the bread is just fantastic.
Maybe at some point they will get rid of the chicken too.
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soooo gooood
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it needs a hash brown in it as well
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Turns out it has less enegry and fat (and presumably carbs) than a Quarter Pounder – sodium is off the hook though:
http://www.lifehacker.com.au/2.....ur-health/
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Low carb diet?
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A quick look on the KFC website reveals the tiny Original Recipe Snack Box contains more kilojoules than this supposedly world-ending Double Down burger. As do pretty much all other burgers, wraps,
Storm, teacup, etc.
Move on.
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It will certainly save time cooking food for my four obese children.
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http://www.facebook.com/KFCAus.....3264374505
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YUM. Heart foundation X
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You should check out the drama unfolding on the KFC Australian Facebook page!
Note to KFC: When you decide to run a promotion through facebook offering customers a sneak preview at a product, make sure you’ve told the stores!
People all over the country are trying to buy this new product after being told they could through the Facebook page only to discover that it’s not for sale today in most stores.
Great way to make yourself unpopular and fill your Facebook page with negative comments.
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Indeed, dramas are unfolding…. http://www.facebook.com/KFCAustralia?sk=wall
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I am so happy, I put way plenty these when I was in NY, I joined the facebook petition to bring them to Australia
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f the heart foundation. we are all responsible adults with the ability to make our own choices. there is nothing irresponsible about serving and marketing this burger. if we want to kill ourselves its not against the law. who cares about fat, were all fat and happy and enjoying our food, leave us alone. we all obviously love fast food since there is one on every corner, and growing!!!
bring on the double. the bread probably has more sugar and fat than the chicken anyway!!
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HAA! Social Media Fail!
I feel ill looking at this. But a twisted part of me wants to try it. Then vom.
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I just had one for lunch, and now I feel like I need to sleep for 18 hours to simply digest the thing.
I’d probably do it again though..
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Where’s the tick from the Heart Foundation?
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filthy disgusting!
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Double Bypass
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That is absolutely disgusting. Your body wasn’t created to process this junk. If you eat this kind of shit you’re asking for disease and early death.
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This all reminds me of a billboard I once saw in LA many years ago.
It had a big image of a burger with mountains of beef, cheese, bacon all oozing out of the 2 buns.
The headline: “Our heart surgeons are standing by”.
The billboard was promoting a private hospital!!
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KFC have streamlined this product by removing the bread – well in!
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Will nobody think of the children?
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Love to see this little baby as a temptation in the Biggest Loser…think I’ll pass on this one..
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I want this more than air.
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The bread makes the burger… this is just a well placed meat. And yes… it needs a hashbrown!
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all it needs is a can of condensed milk to wash it down and you got yourself a
snack sized coronary!
Maybe KFC are trying to tackle world over-population one heart attack at a time…
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Guys, you’re missing the point. Only bogans eat KFC, and this burger is a more effeciant way to kill said bogans.
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@Herald Sun Reader: YES. the next logical step is a no bun, all deep fried chicken burger with cheese, bacon and cigarettes.
BEHOLD THE FUTURE.
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Most of the criticism really is quite lame. It’s just a few pieces of chicken with some cheese and bacon in the middle. Apparently it’s around 500 calories which is just a little more than a Big Mac.
The only reason people are paying the crap out of it is because it’s weird. I bet half of you will be out eating one tonight.
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Seriously people, this one isn’t even marketed at families, you’ll find it’s marketed at adult males to coincide with some ‘Man month’ push they’re about to do. SO if you as an 18 year old male lving in this country while you still have the right to make your own adult decision, (before the PC police get control), decide you want to eat this with all it’s calories, be my guest.
I won’t, but that’s my choice and I respect anyone adult enough who choses to eat one or not, you dont need me to nag you one way or the other.
20,000 dead in Japan and it had nothing to do with this burger and that’s a serious point in that there are bigger issues out there.
What is interesting and the relevent part of this in regards to what this website is about, is the Facebook PR disaster that KFC have on their hands, that’s actually a media story, not opinions on KFC releasing an unhealthy burger, (well duh, and Philip Morris just released minty cigarettes)
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I am definitely getting one of these.
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Beautifully designed for the obese!
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Oh my god my punani is tingling with moist excitement!!!
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Geez it’s like reading the comments section of news.com.au in here. I need to change my previous post to fit in. Here goes:
omg kfc are KILLERS they shoudl be BAND from advertising they aer makeing us all OBEAST
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still battery farm chicken rubbish whatever else they do with it. fail.
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RELEASE THE KRAKEN …. i mean BACON!!!
Oh and yes. Get a hash brown in there.
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Bring it On…. I want one now
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I’m going to eat 2 of these straight after Gym!! I love how KFC are unhealthy and proud of it. Only makes me want to eat their food even more!
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The Double actually has less fat than the KFC Twister, or a Big Mac or Quarter Pounder from McDonalds.
Much ado about nothing, really.
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Order it with a diet coke, that’ll save ya!
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Yummy.
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Josh @ 6.10pm,
all you’re really doing is reinforcing the fact that the vast majority of fast food is incredibly bad for us.
Stacking up well in comparison to a KFC Twister or a Quarter Pounder is hardly a ringing endorsement.
But yeah, at least KFC doesn’t pretend to be anything but junk. You eat there, you’re definitely going in with your eyes wide open.
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But its not just about individuals choosing what they like to eat. The people who eat this stuff regularly will expect, in 20 years or so, to get good quality medical care to compensate for their poor diet choices – heart surgery, medications and hospital care. The people who don’t eat this stuff, and make responsible food choices, will not need it, but their taxes will pay for it. How is that about individual choice? Levy the sales of these products to pay for the inevitable drain on the health budget in 20-odd years I reckon.
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A double whammy of fallacy there:
How is “this stuff” defined?
Cheese? Bacon? Chicken? Put a levy on these? Butter too? Chocolate? Bread? A chicken mayo sandwich? A slap-up meal at a fine French eatery?
The “but they are a burden on our society” argument is a strange stance, driving towards a more libertarian direction.
Shoud society levy parents for their kids and the subsidy provided for their upbringing and education. Stuff child benefit, have a child tax?
Tax sunbathing, surfing, skiing as they have significantly higher injury risks? It’s a slippery slope you’re standing at the top of.
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totally getting one for lunch.
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Don’t forget to upload a photo to WIN MANSTUFF 🙂 http://www.facebook.com/KFCAus.....6643074113
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AdGrunt wins as usual.
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Bring on the Child Tax!
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I can’t believe they didn’t call it a Shit Sandwich…
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“Levy the sales of these products to pay for the inevitable drain on the health budget in 20-odd years I reckon.”
Sure, just so long as we put similar levies on contact sports. Wanna play football? Submit a blank cheque in advance to cover potential medical expenses.
Also a rich person who pays lots of taxes should be allowed to eat unhealthily, but poor people should only eat green vegetables and lean meat. It’s only fair.
Great idea, buddy.
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Fck the captaincy, I’ll have one of these in a bun, with extra Mayo ‘thanks’!
All that advertising over the years at every oval when I have played cricket has resulted in a sudden urge for Kentucky Fried Chicken.
Yes, I know, Mr Warner has endorsed Macca’s but I want a dose of the 3 lettered dirty greasy bird 🙂
Large chips and a thick shake too please Sheila!
In Canada ‘Pup’ is something served in burgers, similar to veal… I think there is one called a ‘Fresh Captain Burger’ and they serve beer in the fast food joints, with free refills.
Burgers don’t kill people, cricketers do! I heard it on the TV channel SBS 2…
I wonder if I will be allowed to change my 20/20 shirty name to Ricko?
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Have you seen the size of them?! Its fcking tiny! How do they get the 2000mg of sodium on the zinger.
Half of it’s weight is grease.
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KFC are doing a great job advancing Darwin’s survival of the fittest. Only the most stupid people will eat this crap because the others can see the health consequences. They will die prematurely hence lifting the average of the population. Everybody wins. More power to the fast food people, more power to the tobacco people, clean up the world!
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This is a ridiculous example of plagiarism, what are KFC playing at? In Coming To America we had McDowells ripping off the awesome real deal Maccas, and now this.
I can only assume The Colonel watched as much Ren & Stimpy as I did and thought the idea of a meat sandwich using meat as bread, all washed down with a glass of meat.
I would have provided a link, but Viacom are too cross and tight to let me find it on YouTube.
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mmmm so goood! makes you animal!
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Groucho, I’m with you: this is an excellent contribution to the process of natural selection.
If you’re stupid enough to eat this garbage, please be my guest, we’ll manage just fine without you
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