KFC Double Down returning to Canada, with less sodium

A CTV news correspondent says the double down sandwich - which consists of two pieces of fried chicken with bacon, cheese, and sauce - will be back June 1st across the country, and explains that it will not be on KFC's permanent menu.

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Canada gets a kick out of KFC's famous Double Down sandwich.

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CTV.ca News Staff

Date: Wed. May. 25 2011 5:51 PM ET

It's baa-ack. KFC's Double Down – the unabashedly greasy sandwich that was nothing short of a marketing dream -- is making a comeback.

You'll of course remember the Double Down. It's the "sandwich" that uses two slabs of fried chicken in place of buns to hold together bacon, cheese and "special sauce."

The Double Down has never shied away from its unhealthy profile; quite the opposite: it's embraced it. With its astonishingly poor nutritional profile, the sandwich earned itself tut-tuts from dieticians and lots of headlines, becoming the stuff of marketing legend.

The last time it arrived, the Double Down boasted 30 grams of fat, 1,740 milligrams of sodium, 540 calories, no fibre and precious few vitamins.

This time, the Double Down is going to be a smidge healthier.

KFC Canada says its "chefs" (you read that right) have trimmed the sodium slightly -- by 10 per cent.

By our calculations, that works out to 1,566 mg of sodium – still more than the maximum that most health experts say an adult should take in, in an entire day. But KFC says that's what customers want.

"KFC fans told us they loved Double Down and they wanted it back in all its delicious glory – and they also asked us to keep all the indulgent flavour and reduce the sodium a little," explained David Vivenes, senior marketing director of Yum! Restaurants Canada, which owns the KFC brand in Canada, in a press release.

Once again, the Double Down will be offered on "a special, limited time" basis. It will begin appearing at KFC restaurants across Canada on June 1st and will remain available "while supplies last."

(We suspect that's code for "as long as it's still making headlines," but chances are good the sandwich will be available for most of the summer.)

The first time the Double Down arrived in Canada -- for a mere five weeks last fall -- more than 1 million were sold, earning the sandwich the honour of KFC Canada's best-selling new item ever.

This time, to get customers talking, 15 restaurants across the country will offer Double Downs for one day only, May 27, from noon to 2pm only.

Vivenes advises Double Down enthusiasts to arrive early to get their hands on one before supplies run out.

Comments are now closed for this story

Devil's Advocate
said
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I am loving the mass awareness this 'sandwich' has created for itself, and for what people put into themselves every day. Good work KFC, accidentally steering society into a better direction with their nutritional knowledge! Besides, it looks pretty good tasting. I will go buy one just to see.

Sharon
said
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Doesn't anyone realize that this "sandwich" is no worse than a lot of the other fast food choices. KFC is the only one that put the nutritional info in the headlines. If you think that going to McDonalds and getting an order of chicken McNuggets or a Big Mac is any better, think again.Who out there goes to Tim Hortons and gets a muffin instead of a donut cause it's healthier? Hah!

Jill
said
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OMG if you don�t like don�t eat it. It�s none of your business what others choose to eat.

Woody
said
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Should have someone there supplying maybe a dose of insulin and checking b.p. before sales can be made to individuals to cover liability.

Edb(Hamilton)
said
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I think you've got it "grizz". There are more horrible fattening poisons in the disgusting bleached flour, refined sugar filled bread type products North Americans seem to love then there are in a couple pieces of fried chicken. Swap the processed cheese for an actual dairy version and you get a decent low carb snack. Yet the fattest continent on the planet living off low fat yogurts and awful morning glory muffins still rambling about the evils of red meats and naturally occurring fats seem to set the dietary agenda

Cal in Ottawa
said
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Given that food in the US has much less sodium than the same stuff in Canada, and that KFC is part of a US corporation, maybe this is part of a plot to weed out Canadians by giving them high blood pressure! Just looking at a picture of this so-called sandwich makes me queasy.

Shame!
said
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KFC and the other suppliers of dangerously unhealthy foods should be nailed with surtaxes to help pay for the healthcare system they are helping to destroy. Sure, it's easy to say that the eaters of this crap do so with their own free will, but when their healthcare is on everyone's tab.

Happy2
said
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Ordering it with a diet coke seems funny, but protein and fat burn much differently in your body then sugar and carbs- I would never eat this junk personally or drink diet pop but I can however understand why some would go for the diet pop with the over-loaded fat and protein sandwich - simply because if you added a full sugar soda it would be so much worse then with a diet pop-and if your diabetic (you shouldn't eat this crap regardless) but its still ok compared to a regular burger with buns/ fries and regular soda.

Jeff in MTL
said
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Canada as a whole is getting fatter by the day. we don't need this heart attack sandwich here at all...

Sylvie
said
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This makes absolutely no difference to me, since I find all of KFC's food to be repulsive. Way too salty, way too greasy, and it gives me intestinal distress for 3 days afterwards.But if everybody else wants to eat this "sandwich", then go ahead. KFC has the right to sell whatever it wants, and consumers have the right to choose to eat it or not.

Heart-Attack Man
said
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Put the sodium back in. Everyone keeps making a big deal about the sodium content of this item, but don't realize a can of vegetable soup has just as much if not more.

mark
said
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This is atrocious with the fat, massive sodium intake etc. Fast Food in general is extremely unhealthy plus all the preservatives these chains use, things like Ammonia for gods sake. The government needs to take a serious look at the entire fast food industry and put serious restrictions on fat content calories sodium, as well as eliminating the harsh preservatives. I very rarely eat any fast food and choose to eat at home carefully choosing my food products, where they come from, how the animals, fish etc. were fed (Grain free antibiotic free etc). There is a documentary called Food Inc. If you watch it i can almost guarantee many regular fast food customers would not eat this crap, let alone peoples children..

Paul
said
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The Veggie and Fetta burger at Montana's has 44 grams of fat. This one doesn't even come close!!!

JD, Smiths Falls
said
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As a supplementary marketing scheme, KFC should install long staircases up to the front door and include a pedometer with every Double Down that will beep when you've walked off the calories........Mind you, an escalator would soon be installed afterwards.

RK
said
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I will have mine with a Diet Coke... that will make it better. Seriously, I love standing in line behind big people who order half the menu... and a Diet Coke! :P

Tyler in Ottawa
said
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We cannot blame KFC and more than we can blame any other fast-food outlet or manufacturers of alcohol and tobacco products. We partake in this voluntarily, and we have other choices. Even if it's a food or drug addiction, we have choices. If you want to point the finger of blame, do so in a mirror.

Roy
said
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Just goes to show that KFC (like all other fast food providers) don't care a crap about their customers.... They only care about huge profits... Even if they have to kill all of us to make more money !! How sad is that ??

grizz
said
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I can't believe how so many sheeple believe everything they're told by the "establishment".Eating fat does not make you fat nor does it make your cholesterol high. Carbs carbs and more carbs are responsible for fat, and, believe it or not, your liver produces cholesterol to compensate when you don't receive enough essential fatty acids (flax seed oil, fish oils, etc) in your diet. Try talking to a health care expert, instead of an MD.

Wayne from Trenton
said
0 0

People,people,people. No one is forcing anyone to eat this magnificient meal. If in the future you become to fat do not expect Health Canada to go after KFC for compensation, for you my friend had decided to eat it, nobody twisted your arm. When it comes to town i expect to get my fill of it. LOL

terrib
said
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I realize that it seems horrid because of the missing bun, but how is this any worse for people than eating, say, a 4 pc dinner? If you check the nutirional info on the website - a keel, wing, drumstick and a thigh you are up to 1265 mg, 800 calories, 60 g of fat. The double down is 540 calores, 30 grams of fat, 1560 g sodium. Except for the sodium, which is crazy, it is actually a better choice than 4 pieces out of a bucket of chicken.

Neil
said
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10% less sodium?! Why not just take the caffine out of Coke or the green out of spring time? Blasphemous.

Connie in Port Elmsley
said
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I will keep my money....................and my arteries!!!

JB in Ontario
said
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Mmmmmmmmm! Looks delicious!

MuskyBuck
said
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Ok, let's try this again. News. It isn't fluff pieces about Arnolds mistresses, it also isn't ADVERTISING disguised as news....----Here let me help you out, here's a piece that should have been in your top news articles (I'm shaking my head why it didn't) World farm monitors on Wednesday declared a cattle-killing virus that has been a curse through the ages had been wiped out, the first time an animal disease has been eradicated in human history. To prolonged applause from delegates, the global watchdog for farm-animal trade approved a report certifying that the last 14 countries of the world were free of rinderpest, also called cattle plague.Now that's news. KFC isn't news.

Michele D.
said
0 0

In an age when 1/3 of our citizens are obese and even our children are at risk for strokes and heart attacks, KFC is saying that they're PROUD to put this slab of salty, greasy death back into the hands of Canadians. What the heck is wrong with them?? I hope they're also willing to pay millions in compensation to Health Canada when 400 pound people drag their huge Double Down butts to hospitals seeking gastric bypass surgery.

G Donaldson
said
0 0

I prefer a double beef patty, breaded and deep fried with bacon, sauce and cheeze filling. Say no to chicken.

Hank Reardon
said
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If God was a sandwich, he would be a KFC Double Down. Welcome back, my friend...

SteveInMoncton
said
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Hmmmm, now there's an oxymoron if I ever saw one...."intelligent liberal" ....although i do detect a kind of humorous sarcasm in his comments.......Anyway, I too shall hopefully be staying away from the greasy, salty, artery clogging double-down... having had a heart attack on Christmas Eve, I may want to live a little longer....not much wonder our healthcare costs are soooooooooo high

Lany
said
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OMG! I'm gonna puke! Just looking at it, my cholesterol went up!

GHW
said
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I wanted to try one last time they were here but missed the boat. I will make another attempt this summer.

Ralph!
said
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Commercialism without conscience. Karma will get you in the end.

Bart
said
0 0

I'd love to try one, I missed them last year. It may be bad for me if I ate them all the time but once will satisfy my curiosity and hopefully my hunger!

louise
said
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great contribute a little more to the fatening up of canadians, sick.

another liberal
said
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intelligent liberal you made me laugh so hardthe only thing that makes this sandwhich even better i find is dipping it in a w gravy

JCA_IN_ON
said
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You know, if you collect enough of those free salt containers, you could get an enterprising friend to built your coffin out of them.See, there's an upside to everything.

boy
said
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who still eats this junk !?

conductor274
said
0 0

Ahhh gotta love all those fat little kids running around who can't walk 10 blocks or ride a bike for a mile without collapsing. And those adults who can't squeeze into size 46 men's jeans without splitting the arse out of them every time they bend over. We do this with pigs and cows don't we? Fatten them up before slaughter? It's no wonder our medical system is so over burdened.

Mark in Wpg
said
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Too much salt? Yeah, that's the problem here... Never mind that this thing is essentially two pieces of heart attack sandwiching some cheese and bacon. These "sandwiches" should be taxed like cigarettes for exactly the same reason: the people who consume them will cause a burden on our already stressed health care system.

Wendy cindy
said
0 0

Suggestion if you really want to cut down on the salt ask for regular mayo instead of the sauce that they suggest. Plus it will taste better. The other big challenge that the double down sandwich promo has is that they did not prepare enough product or sauces for the franchises. It pissed off the customers that half the time the product was not available. Hopefully this will not be the problem

Phil V Windsor
said
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I don't understand why we protect our children from marijuana, alcohol and cigarettes.. but not from this....Anyone stupid enough to ingest this is clearly not in the right mind to be making decisions for themselves.

Hawk in Ottawa
said
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And in related news, sales of weight-loss products such as late-night infomercial exercise equipment, quick-fix supplements, and diet books and gym memberships are expected to rise over the coming months.

Dean
said
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I missed getting one last time they were available, but was fortunate to buy one in the States, it was outstanding! I'm not saying that they should be eaten daily but just the fact that they've created an all meat sandwich should make all real men want to indulge. It's going be double the fun and double-down kind of summer!

Dixie from Alberta
said
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I'm sure KFC could have done better than only 10% less salt.....it still contains a tsp which is way way too much. Not something I'd eat.

Cambob in Toronto
said
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The customer is always right. Even if they explode while eating it.

Prof. Pye Chartt
said
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If only the tobacco industry would pay attention to KFC's commercial conscience and marketing savvy. By reducing the nicotine content in cigarettes by 10% we'd have "healthy" smokes that even children could enjoy.

Mischa
said
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My boyfriend had one of those last year. He said it was delicious, but recommends the following: DO NOT get the combo (i.e. fries pop); just get some water. You will need it. :P

scott ns
said
0 0

Heart attack sandwich, looks horrible. Last time I ate KFC was 1997 when I got very bad food poisoning, don't miss it at all. I can BBQ far better tasting chicken.

Cowboy
said
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Of course no fiber. You want this little bundle of joy to take days to pass......YEEE HAAWWW!!!!

Dave in Ottawa
said
0 0

This is good news. Now my heart will have much more time on its hands to deal with the clogging effects of the grease without having all that sodium to worry about.

Kojak
said
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What a joke, a $ 8.00 sandwhich with enough meat on a bun to leave a mouse hungry. Biggest ripoff ever. Kentucky Fraud Chicken

One canadian
said
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I can already feel my arteries clogging up. It's too bad I eat KFC once a year.

Intelligent Liberal
said
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I am pleased and excited about the return of the double down. Although it's a bit of a pain to have to add more salt due the 10% sodium reduction, which will wreck the dining experience, the little salt packages can be used for more than fries. Much more. Plus they are free, you can pocket dozens of them.

Paul ~ Kitchener
said
0 0

" BRING IT ON " ! This is a success story as dictated by the public. Healthy ~ NOT, but, if this is a treat for some so be it. Free commerce is the name of the game & let those who enjoy this sinful goodie the "Joy of their Meal". For me I won't eat this treat, as much as I want to, but, being a "Heart Patient" it would be like me rushing to leave this world. LIfe is short, and very trying at best, so I say to all who want ~ " GO FOR IT ".

VoodooSquirrel
said
0 0

Terrible Sandwich, definately one of the *worst* thing I have ever eaten

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