1,420 calories in America's new monster hamburger

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1,420 calories in America's new monster hamburger

By Marcus Warren in New York

(Filed: 18/11/2004)

America's appetite for junk food has taken on terrifying new proportions in

the form of the highest calorie hamburger ever marketed to a nation already

sick from overeating.

The Monster Thickburger is nothing less than a " monument to decadence " ,

declares Hardee's, the chain pandering to the country's worst instincts for

greed

and gluttony.

 

Hardee's new offering: 'not a burger for tree-huggers'

The burger, which packs a bulging 1,420 calories and 107 grams of fat per

portion, also bucks the trend of fast-food restaurants offering healthier

alternatives.

" It's not a burger for tree-huggers, " said a Hardee's executive, rejoicing in

their defiance of the fad for salads and " Atkins-friendly " menus.

" It's a lot, " one bloated diner said yesterday after surviving the challenge

of eating one in Pennsylvania. " It tastes better than you might suspect. But I

think it's a special treat more than a regular meal. "

The Monster Thickburger consists of two slabs of Angus beef (664 calories)

and four rashers of bacon (150 calories) with three slices of processed cheese

(186 calories), plus mayonnaise (160 calories), sandwiched between a sesame

seed bun (230 calories) spread with butter for a final 30.

The equivalent of two Big Macs, it costs a mere £3. For £1 more, you can

throw in a medium fries and a soft drink and consume an adult's recommended

daily

intake of calories at one sitting.

The burger requires " two hands, a firm grip and a serious appetite " , Hardee's

boasts. It is also a " heart attack in a bun " , say nutritionists.

The company is not as widely spread in America as McDonald's or Burger King.

But by gambling on bigger burgers, it is earning notoriety - and market buzz.

However, it also increases the company's exposure to the threat of lawsuits

from customers blaming its food for their obesity, diabetes, heart problems or

other conditions linked to poor diet.

Attempts to sue McDonald's for health problems have so far failed, but the

litigation threat is still taken seriously by company executives.

Hardee's previous attempt to seduce big eaters was the plain Thickburger.

" If the old Thickburger was 'food porn', the new Monster Thickburger is the

fast-food equivalent of a snuff movie, " the Centre for Science in the Public

Interest commented.