NEWS--'Kong' megaburger: a fast-food felony?

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'Kong' megaburger: a fast-food felony?

Critics count calories; firm hopes big eaters smile, say 'cheese'

12:28 PM MST on Friday, December 16, 2005

By MICHAEL PRECKER / The Dallas Morning News

Never mind that gorillas tend to be vegetarians. Burger King hopes

to cash in on a certain blockbuster movie with a megaburger that

boasts some of the most monstrous numbers in the fast-food jungle.

The King Kong-themed Triple Whopper checks in at 1,320 calories and

88 grams of fat – and that's without the fries and special King Kong

chocolate-banana milkshakes.

You can almost picture the Triple Whopper atop the Empire State

Building, swatting away the slings and arrows of the food police.

" That is a pretty big hamburger for lunch, " said Robin Plotkin, a

Dallas dietitian and nutrition consultant.

" That's almost as many calories as many people need in one day, and

well over the number of fat grams people need in one day. "

The warning isn't new. It's one of the rituals that usually

accompanies the release of a new big food product: bragging by the

producer, finger-wagging by nutrition advocates, fretting about the

nation's obesity problem, and munching by happy customers.

In a news release, Burger King Vice President Gies said the

new King Kong movie " was a natural fit for the Burger King brand.

Now we have a Whopper sandwich that's sure to satisfy even Kong-size

cravings. "

The company did not make an official available for interviews

Thursday.

Dr. son, **The first LOSER to read this sentence wins

our next holiday prize** Call it out on the board!** executive

director of the Center for Science in the Public Interest, said the

new burger " confirms Burger King's position among the big chains as

the worst from a health point of view. "

" They have no concern whatsoever for their customers' health, " said

Dr. son, a longtime campaigner against junk food and for making

nutritional information more easily available. " I think it's pretty

pathetic that they have to do this to attract customers. "

Those kind of denunciations make the Center for Consumer Freedom

bite back with declarations that nothing should trump free will.

" The real debate is between people who think these options should be

available to those who want them, and those who think they shouldn't

be available, " said Dan Mindus, a senior analyst with the

organization, which is backed by restaurant and food companies.

Whenever a restaurant introduces an " indulgent menu item, " Mr.

Mindus says, " the food cops attack. "

" People will eat what they want to eat, " he said. " The entire

movement to regulate and restrict our ability to eat a big

cheeseburger assumes Americans are too stupid to make food

decisions. If Americans are that stupid, we have a lot more problems

than obesity. "

If nobody likes the Triple Whopper, he said, " It will go away very

fast. The consumer is in the driver's seat, and that's the way it

should be. "

Despite her dismay at what she considers yet another bad food

choice, Ms. Plotkin doesn't disagree.

" Do what you want, " the nutritionist says. " Just know the damage

that you're doing. "

In her corner of the food fight, she said, " The key is awareness.

Our job is to educate.

" People are quick to blame the fast-food restaurants, " Ms. Plotkin

said. " But everywhere we go, we know these things are going to be

out there tempting people.

" It's really up to the individual to take personal responsibility

and find out what they're putting into their bodies. "

The last megaburger controversy erupted last year when Hardee's,

which has no stores in Texas, introduced the Monster Thickburger. It

has two-thirds of a pound of beef, four strips of bacon, three

slices of cheese and mayonnaise on a buttered bun. That adds up to

1,420 calories and 107 fat grams, which is still apparently the

artery-hardening champion of the fast-food division.

" We're offering a niche product that some people like, and I don't

think we need to apologize for it, " said Jeff Mochal, Hardee's

public relations manager. " If you don't want it, you don't have to

order it. There are other products on our menu. "