KFC To Sell Vegan Fried Chicken In China

This week KFC announced that their Chinese fast-food chain Yum will begin selling plant-based fried chicken for the first time in China over a limited period.

The chickenless nuggets will be available at only three outlets in China in Shanghai and the southern cities of Guangzhou and Shenzhen between April 28-30.

KFC wrote on their Weibo account that customers who would like to try the new product must purchase a pre-sale coupon. The price of 1.99 yuan comprises five chicken pieces.

The move comes as the coronavirus outbreak is affecting China’s poultry production.  The lockdown in China has hit supply chains, with transport restrictions preventing animal feed such as soybean meal from getting delivered to poultry farms. 

The plant-based meat alternative will be supplied by US food giant Cargill Ltd.

 Cargill Ltd is planning to roll out a full range of plant-based products this month, including vegan patties and mincemeat. “We’ve created some of the best tasting products available in the plant-based category today,” said Elizabeth Gutschenritter, managing director of Cargill’s alternative protein team, in a statement. “We’ve combined our deep knowledge of plant proteins with our expertise in R&D, product development and production to deliver products consumers will love.”

Last year, KFC trialled plant-based chicken version in its store in Atlanta, and the new offering was sold out within five hours.  Following the success, the chain started selling vegan fried chicken supplied by Beyond Meat at 70 locations across the United States earlier this year.