Beyond Meat ‘Chicken’ Nuggets Are KFC’s New Vegan Option

Image credit: vox.com and nosh.com

KFC is synonymous with fried chicken that’s so good you’ll lick your fingers clean! However, outlets in North Carolina and Tennessee are now offering customers with a new and unexpected option. Who knew that one day KFC would offer plant-based chicken in a partnership with Beyond Meat.


Beyond Meat and KFC

Beyond Meat Beef
Image credit: beyondmeat.com

Just to catch you up, Beyond Meat is based in Los Angeles and provides plant-based meat substitutes. The company was founded by Ethan Brown in 2009 but products only became available in 2012. Products from the company include plant-based chicken, beef, and pork sausages.

Moving on, fast food chain KFC is now experimenting with the new plant-based line in two cities in the U.S.A. In fact, they have made the Beyond Fried Chicken line available in 100 locations.

Customers can choose between nuggets, a four piece bucket, and even a 12 piece bucket.

KFC Beyond Meat Chicken nuggets
Image credit: engadget.com

However, this is actually not the first phase of testing from KFC as they first began in summer 2019 in Atlanta. Customers in Atlanta were so excited to test out the new vegan chicken that it sold out in just a few hours.

Thanks to that successful initial test, they have chosen to take it further to North Carolina and Tennessee now. The KFC Beyond Chicken will be available until the 23rd of February or while supplies last.

Furthermore, KFC officials say that if the products sell well and receive positive feedback then it could be released nationwide!

A Vegan Chicken Line? 

KFC Beyond Fried Chicken
Image credit: vox.com

But can you imagine walking into a KFC and getting plant-based chicken?

While in Malaysia veganism doesn’t have much hold, over in the States it’s becoming an increasingly popular movement.

Veganism is the practise of abstaining from the use of animal products. This is widely applied through a diet that avoids not only meat but also animal products such as milk. The reason behind veganism is that it rejects the commodity status of animals.

Chicken farm
Image credit: aspca.org

Documentaries on the disgusting and cramped conditions that animals live in allows us to understand where our food comes from. And it is not a pretty picture. Therefore, many have taken it upon themselves to reject such a practice by avoiding consumerism.

While this is definitely an interesting step for KFC to partner with Beyond Meat, do you think it will work? Or is it an ironic move from them considering that the whole KFC brand is built on fried chicken.