KFC partners with Beyond Meat to test vegan ‘chicken’

Beyond Meat and KFC announced a partnership on Monday to test fried plant-based nuggets and boneless wings from the Beyond Fried Chicken range at one KFC branch in Atlanta.

The test will be carried out one day where customers will receive a free sample when they purchase something, and KFC will ask for their feedback.

This is the first test of a potential national rollout, KFC told Bloomberg on Monday. It is also the first time a national US fast-food chain will introduce a vegan chicken option in its menu.

Although, KFC is not the first fast-food chain to try out vegan options, Burger King rolled out its Impossible Whopper from Impossible Foods to all of its US stores recently and Subway announced a partnership with Beyond Meat to serve a vegan Meatball Marinara in the US and Canada.

The news was well received by investors in Beyond. The company’s stock soared as high as $234.90 a share. Beyond shares remain up 487% since its initial public offering in May.

Yum Brands’ stock, valued at $35.3bn, is up 26% this year.