KFC in the UK has committed to cut their calorie content by 20 percent over the next 7 years, and one of the ways they’re working towards this goal is by developing a vegetarian version of their iconic fried chicken.
The new menu offering will still use the secret blend of 11 herbs and spices that made the Colonel famous, and will debut some time in 2019.
Then there is White Castle – who has now tested and launched the Impossible Burger in their restaurants nationwide.
And one of our favs, Beyond Meat has just announced that it would double their production to sate the growing hunger for their plant-based burgers. According to Plant Based News, Beyond burgers are outselling beef burgers in some stores in California, and Beyond Meat CEO Ethan Brown has said that the company is ahead of their sales targets.
All of which means that the demand for meat-like vegan burgers is there, and is growing — the question is why and will it continue.
There are two major factors in play. First the new plant based companies are developing products to have their own identity – they are not trying to copy the taste and texture of animal based meats. Which is a good move. Stand on your own and you will succeed. Of course I still think the “blood bleeding” trait of Impossible Foods is a mistake and will come to haunt them. The second is that certainly more people want alternatives and are concerned about the impact of meat on the environment – however, there are many questions and controversies surrounding just how much the impact of the entire impact of animal protein really is – stay tuned.