For a long time, the health problems occasioned by Western fast food have been a focal point of concern amongst various groups in society. On August 8th, KFC announced in Beijing that it would refuse to make "traditional Western fast food" and concentrate on creating "new fast food."

KFC threw down the gauntlet to challenge the traditional Western fast food industry in a very public way. It arranged simultaneously press conferences in sixteen Chinese cities. Its parent company Yum China Restaurant Support Center managing director Su Jinshi personally attended the press conference and addressed his peers in the industry to encourage everyone to join KFC in this new direction, in order to create what is needed by the modern generation of people, in accordance with what China wants as its "new fast food."

It was learned that the new fast food will retain the original advantages of speed and health and break away from the tradition of high calories and high fat content and through various cooking methods and combination of balanced nutrition to create what modern people need in terms of healthy food and drink.

China Cuisine Association chairman Su Qiucheng pointed out that KFC used their Chinese experience to summarize, reflect and crystallize into an essence and suggest for others a common course for important public concern. How Western fast food will evolve into new ways also has a mirroring effect on China's fast food industry.

(Chinanews.cn August 9, 2005)