It’s a Kentucky Fried Miracle! Beyond Fried Chicken has officially landed at KFC!
Let me preface this entire post with this- being prepared on/in shared equipment doesn’t make something not vegan. As with most things ordered at a non-vegan establishment, this is prepared in the same fryer as their other products and the possibility of cross-contamination can occur. KFC is cautiously stating their Beyond Fried Chicken is “not prepared in a vegan or vegetarian manner”, due to this. I imagine this is because they do not want to deal with lawsuits over misinterpreted claims like Burger King had to deal with. If you have an issue with purity, then this is not for you but it is still a win for the animals and vegans of the future. The Beyond Fried Chicken is vegan by ingredients and unless you are concerned with it being prepared on the same equipment, it’s an incredible option to have in 2022! I certainly see this as a win, and can’t wait to see what additional plant-based options KFC offers in the future.
On Monday, KFC launched its Beyond Fried Chicken at all participating locations nationwide. This means any store that wants to sell them can, and all of our local stores should carry them. This is a limited-time offering while supplies last. So once we sell them out, we have to wait for their official menu launch, which I have no doubt will take place. In an interview with Fortune, KFC US President Kevin Hochman stated: “Younger people tend to be the ones that want to eat more plant-based. We envision this trend to continue to grow. We’re pretty bullish on that. We don’t think that plant-based is a fad, we think that’s something that’s going to continue to grow over time.” He also said: “I think it will one day be a sizable segment of the fried-chicken market” in regard to plant-based meat alternatives. With that and all the different vegan-friendly options at KFCs in other countries, I am sure we will see more options for us on the menu going forward.
I picked up the new Beyond Fried Chicken nuggets on day one and was THOROUGHLY impressed. I ordered my combo with fries, but there are additional vegan side options listed below. The breading is the same I remember from eating at KFC as a kid; crispy, salty, and seasoned with their signature “secret recipe”. The Beyond Chicken is plump, juicy, and filling. I picked up some combos to share with family and they were impressed too! Just a note that the dipping sauces at KFC designed exclusively for chicken dippin’ are unfortunately not vegan-friendly. All contain either dairy or honey. However, they’ve got ketchup and hot sauce and that’s good enough for me!
Overall I am thrilled with this new menu item, and for what it means for the future of plant-based. I will continue to support vegan options as they become available to show the demand, desire, and profit it brings. I want overall change and in order to inflict it, we are gonna have to support the slow strides toward the future we want to see. Will you be trying KFC’s Beyond Fried Chicken, or have you already? What did you think?
Additional Vegan-Friendly Options at KFC:
(use the nutrition facts sheet on their website for more info: KFC.com/Full-Nutrition-Guide)
KFC Location: 950 Oakdale Rd, Modesto, CA 95355 (and nationwide)
Fortune Article with Kevin Hochman Interview
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