Pamela Anderson takes on KFC
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This is the ad PETA is using in its new campaign.
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NEW YORK (CNN/Money) -- Former "Baywatch" star and animal-rights activist Pamela Anderson has sent a scathing letter to KFC accusing it of abusing millions of chickens, and is urging a consumer boycott of the fast-food franchise.
"If people knew how KFC treats its chickens, they'd never eat another drumstick," Anderson wrote to John Bitove, chairman of KFC Canada's parent company, Priszm Brandz.
KFC, which owns or franchises about 12,300 outlets in 90 countries, is a division of YUM Brands.
"What KFC does to 750 million chickens each year is not civilized or acceptable, and you can help change that," Anderson wrote in a letter circulated by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) Thursday.
"Cruelty is cruelty, and KFC is being cruel in the extreme. I am calling for a boycott of all KFC restaurants until my friends at PETA tell me that you have agreed to be kinder in your practices."
Her friends in this endeavor include Paul McCartney, music mogul Russell Simmons, and National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) President and CEO Kweisi Mfume.
The campaign has included demonstrations around the world, as well as billboard and print advertisements allegedly exposing KFC's cruelty to chickens.
"KFC uses only the highest quality ingredients in all the meals we freshly prepare in out restaurant kitchens," said KFC spokeswoman Bonnie Warschauer.
"We buy our quality chicken from the same trusted brands as you do in the supermarkets, like Perdue, Tyson and Pilgrim's Pride. There's a lot more information about our quality standards on our Web site," Warschauer said.
