Beyond Chicken? KFC to Serve Up Plant-Based Meals

THURSDAY, Jan. 6, 2022 (HealthDay News) -- First, determination was Beyond Meat. Next up? Beyond Fried Chicken.

KFC announced Wednesday that it volition statesman offering a plant-based chickenhearted successful immoderate of its meals connected Jan. 10, from the aforesaid institution known for its meat-free burgers, Beyond Meat.

Beyond Fried Chicken was developed by Beyond Meat exclusively for KFC, according to a news release from KFC. It was initially offered successful 2019 astatine 1 Atlanta edifice earlier expanding to 3 states and present to 4,000 restaurants astir the country.

Customers tin get their plant-based chickenhearted arsenic portion of a combo repast oregon a la carte successful six- oregon 12-piece orders.

"The ngo from time 1 was elemental -- marque the world-famous Kentucky Fried Chicken from plants," Kevin Hochman, president of KFC U.S., said successful the release. "And present implicit 2 years aboriginal we tin say, 'Mission accomplished.'"

Yum Brands owns some KFC and Taco Bell, which is besides moving with Beyond Meat to make immoderate products for those eateries, according to CBS News. Beyond Meat precocious hired 2 erstwhile executives from Tyson Foods, a institution known for its chicken.

"We couldn't beryllium prouder to spouse with KFC to connection a best-in-class merchandise that not lone delivers the delicious acquisition consumers expect from this iconic chain, but besides provides the added benefits of plant-based meat," Ethan Brown, laminitis and CEO of Beyond Meat, said successful the release. "We are genuinely thrilled to marque it disposable to consumers nationwide."

There has been an accrued request for plant-derived foods, with large chains including McDonald's and Starbucks partnering with Beyond Meat and rival Impossible Foods to connection further options, CBS News reported. On Monday, Chipotle began offering plant-based chorizo for a constricted time.

"It's nary longer fringe for a institution to beryllium doing this -- it's becoming mainstream, and much are seeing it arsenic a necessity" to connection plant-based options, Sean Cash told the Washington Post. He's an economist with the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy astatine Tufts University successful Boston.

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And the inclination is not confined to restaurants, Cash added. As the pandemic pushed consumers to navigator and devour astatine home, much nutrient alternatives were disposable successful immoderate market stores. Also, proviso concatenation issues with accepted meats whitethorn person led consumers to effort alternatives.

Fast nutrient chains are "targeting the inactive comparatively tiny but rapidly increasing conception of the colonisation funny successful plant-based alternatives to meat, which is progressively understood to beryllium perchance harmful to wellness and the environment," Marion Nestle, a prof emerita of nutrition, nutrient studies and nationalist wellness astatine New York University, told the Post.

Companies "must deliberation determination is simply a marketplace for plant-based alternatives and privation to bring radical who privation these alternatives into their stores," Nestle added.

More information

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has much accusation connected vegetarian-based diets.

SOURCES: KFC, quality release, Jan. 5, 2022; CBS News; Washington Post