KFC restaurants across the United States will add plant-based Beyond Fried Chicken to their menus, starting January 10, 2022 for a limited time period. The decision to launch a plant-based meat option came after years of trials from the Yum Brands chain and Beyond Meat to create a meat substitute that could mirror the taste and texture of whole muscle chicken rather than the ground-up uniformity of nuggets.
The vegan Beyond Fried Chicken was developed by Beyond Meat for KFC, exclusively. It is filled with the delicious flavor and juiciness of the real thing. First tested at an Atlanta restaurant in August 2019, Yum and Beyond Meat sold out their limited supply within five hours. KFC has tested the new option in Nashville, Charlotte, N.C. and southern California two years ago.
Image: KFC
Kevin Hochman, U.S. president of KFC, said;
This is really about where the customer is going; they want to eat more plant-based proteins. It’s January, so it’s a time of New Year’s resolutions and wanting to do something different in your diet.
Given the impact that the animal husbandry industry has on the environment and its cruelty to animals, people are cutting down on meat consumption for health and environmental concerns. These reasons have fueled the growing popularity of plant-based substitutes.
This partnership offers a great opportunity for Beyond Meat restaurant sales. It is likely to attract more customers to its grocery store products. Ethan Brown, Founder and CEO, Beyond Meat, said;
We couldn’t be prouder to partner with KFC to offer a best-in-class product that not only delivers the delicious experience consumers expect from this iconic chain, but also provides the added benefits of plant-based meat. We are truly thrilled to make it available to consumers nationwide.
KFC has also partnered with YouTube star Liza Koshy for the plant-based chicken ad campaign. However, the food chain will not be directing its marketing strategies directly at vegans and vegetarians as Beyond Fried Chicken is made using the same appliances as KFC’s typical fried chicken.
KFC’s Beyond Fried Chicken will be available for customers in six- or 12-piece orders, with dipping sauce at $6.99.