KFC
KFC is doing away with their same old, same old and are now embracing the public’s interest in new plant-based meat alternatives.
According to Kevin Hochman, President of KFC’s US business, he met with Beyond Meat – makers of a plant-based “meat” back in May, thanks to the rise of interest in meat alternatives in a move that he couldn’t have predicted.
“If you would have asked me six months ago, I would have said no, to be completely honest with you,” Hochman said about serving the plant-based meat alternatives. “Because we’re about fried chicken.”
On Monday, KFC finally announced that it is getting into the alternative meat game. They are going to start testing Beyond Fried Chicken, in partnership with the popular Beyond Meat.
Beyond Meat can be found in over 15,000 restaurants, hotels, and other locations, including big names such as TGI Fridays, Carls Jr., and Cinemark. They also recently announced deals with Subway, Del Taco, and Dunkin’.
The excitement surrounding plant-based meat alternatives doesn’t seem to be going anywhere but up. People across the country are becoming increasingly interested in meat alternatives, as they pay more attention to eating healthier, try to eat less meat, and aim to develop more sustainable habits.
Now, thanks to the rise in interest of these plant-based proteins, fast food chains have been scrambling to provide healthier alternatives to their traditional menus. And consumers will likely be happy to see that KFC is (finally) joining the meatless party.
They have announced that they will be rolling out a plant-based fried “chicken” made with Beyond products. Starting on Tuesday, this meatless alternative will be available at a single KFC location in Atlanta, Georgia.
Depending on how this product does, and after considering customer feedback, KFC will decide if they will move forward with testing the item in more locations or launch it nationwide.
KFC is no stranger to faux fried chicken, though. KFC in the UK already launched a meatless fried chicken alternative earlier this year, after testing it with consumers. The UK version utilizes Quorn, a meat substitute product originating in the UK.
