KFC rolls out first plant-based fried 'chicken' with Beyond Meat
- KFC is testing fried "chicken" made with faux meat, the chain announced on Monday.
- The chain teamed up with Beyond Meat to make Beyond Fried Chicken.
- The plant-based fried "chicken" will only be available at a single KFC in Atlanta, Georgia, starting on Tuesday.
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KFC is getting into the alternative meat game.
On Monday, the chicken chain announced it is testing Beyond Fried Chicken in partnership with Beyond Meat. The plant-based fried "chicken" will only be available at a single KFC location in Atlanta, Georgia, starting on Tuesday.
KFC said that it will consider customer feedback to the test as it decides whether to test the menu item at more locations or launch it nationally.
In May, Kevin Hochman, the president of KFC's US business, told Business Insider he was meeting with plant-based "meat" makers due to the rise of interest in meat alternatives.
"If you would have asked me six months ago, I would have said no, to be completely honest with you," Hochman said. "Because we're about fried chicken."
However, if the buzz around companies like Impossible Foods and Beyond Meat translates into long-term customer demand, KFC will need to test a plant-based meat substitute in the US, Hochman said. The chain has already been testing vegetarian fried "chicken" in the UK.
Beyond Meat has recently announced deals with chains including Subway, Dunkin', and Del Taco.
"It's not that interesting to me that really rich people eat super healthy food. It's not moving the needle," Beyond Meat CEO Ethan Brown told Business Insider of the company's recent work with restaurant chains.