Beyond fast food: KFC latest in chain restaurants to introduce meat alternatives


Starting Tuesday, customers in Atlanta can enjoy their Kentucky Fried Chicken without the chicken. In a partnership with Beyond Meat, the chain is rolling out plant-based, vegan "fried chicken," making it the first U.S. fast-food chain to offer a Beyond chicken item, reports CNBC.
The company will take customer feedback into consideration to figure out whether they will offer the "Kentucky Fried Miracle" option nationwide, per CNBC.
KFC is just the latest in a sea of fast food chains offering meat imitation options. Beyond Meat has partnered with Del Taco, Carl's Jr., Subway, and Dunkin', to name a few. Rival brand Impossible Foods has options at Burger King, Little Caesars, and Red Robin, among others.
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The trend coincides with growing awareness of the link between human diet and the environment, and concern that meat can be unhealthy — although Beyond meats may not be the healthiest alternative. Plant-based food sales were up 31.3 percent from April 2017 to April 2019, reports Forbes, and The Economist deemed 2019 the "Year of the Vegan."
But we'll have to wait until tomorrow to find out if the vegan fried chicken will be still be as "finger lickin' good" as KFC claims.
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Taylor Watson is audience engagement editor for TheWeek.com and a former editorial assistant. She graduated from Syracuse University, with a major in magazine journalism and minors in food studies and nutrition. Taylor has previously written for Runner's World, Vice, and more.
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