Burger misses Masterton | Wairarapa News | Local News in Wairarapa

While people queued throughout the country to try KFC's latest creation, Wairarapa fast-food junkies may miss out on the Double Down because of the temporary closure of Masterton KFC.

The bunless burger, made up of two slices of bacon and cheese sandwiched between two chicken fillets, is on offer for five weeks.

It has made headlines around the world and drawn discussion from nutritionists and doctors, including Masterton's own Dr Richard McGrath, who appeared on Close Up on Monday night.

Dr McGrath, who intends to try the burger at the weekend "out of curiosity", said it was less likely to make you put on weight than burgers that had bread.

"If you look at it from a dietary point of view, it has low carbohydrates so you're less likely to put on weight than if you had a burger with bread and ate chips and soft drinks which are full of sugar."

He said it was not a balanced meal, and people should be responsible when eating such foods.

"For most people it's a one-off thing, but if you eat it every day, then you would be in trouble.

"People should be free to choose what they eat, but that should be balanced by the cost of your health. People who run into health problems because of their own choices, like eating fatty foods, smoking and taking drugs, should be made accountable - the cost should not fall back on the taxpayer."

Dr McGrath is leader of the Libertarianz, a political party committed to a free society with a free market. He was the party's candidate for Wairarapa at the last election and although he never achieved enough votes to threaten the major parties, he polled the highest of any Libertarianz candidate in the country

For those Masterton burger lovers who prefer a burger with buns, Burger King, which is under construction on the corner of Chapel St and Lincoln Rd, is expected to open at the end of July.

Burger King spokesperson Rachel Allison said more information about the recruitment process would be available in a month.