“Be afraid,” proclaim Hardee’s ads for the new Monster Thickburger. “Be very afraid.”

It’s not often that fast-food braggarts and nutrition worrywarts agree.

But the Monster Thickburger has forged a consensus. Hardee’s, which is concentrated in the South and Midwest, has just rolled out what might be the champion artery-clogger in the drive-through division.

Proclaiming that the burger “takes decadence to a new level,” the company amassed two 1/3-pound charbroiled patties, four strips of bacon, three slices of American cheese and mayonnaise – on a buttered bun.

It adds up to 1,420 calories with 107 grams of fat – nearly three times the calories and more than three times the fat of a Big Mac.

The Center for Science in the Public Interest, which loves to coin catchy phrases to deride unhealthful cuisine, had already called the regular Thickburger “food porn,” adding, “The new Monster Thickburger is the fast-food equivalent of a snuff film.”

The center also challenged Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson, who has pledged to speak out against unhealthful eating as part of the fight against obesity, to condemn the Thickburger.

Maybe they can’t talk with their mouths full, but there’s no word from the government yet.

Hardee’s president and CEO Andy Puzder concedes his new product isn’t for everybody.

“If you’re the romaine lettuce and raspberry vinaigrette crowd, this is not your burger,” he said.

The good or bad news, depending on your point of view, is that the nearest Monster Thickburger is a vigorous, calorie-burning hike away.