Amanda Waxman
Although fast food companies and animal rights advocates haven’t always gotten along, big chains like KFC offering vegan options can be a step in the right direction for animals.
Last month, Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) debuted its long-awaited partnership with Beyond Meat to much fanfare, but the news sparked some controversy in the vegan community.
We asked our social media community if they were planning on trying the latest plant-based option, and the results were mixed.
Are you stoked to try the ✨NEW✨ @BeyondMeat Fried ‘Chicken’ at KFC?
— The Humane League (@TheHumaneLeague) January 10, 2022
The response was surprising at first—we thought everyone would be stoked (with sparkle emojis!) to see such a big name on board with the plant-based movement. But when we paused to consider where the pushback was coming from, we realized animal rights advocates’ apprehension to try KFC’s new plant-based offering makes sense. After all, aside from a few side dishes, the rest of the restaurant’s menu is made from chickens who were raised and killed for food—it’s right there in the name.
On top of this, KFC and animal rights groups don’t exactly have a history of getting along. If you were a budding animal activist in the mid 2000s like me, you may have spent hours playing Super Chick Sisters on the PETA Kids website, a platform game based on Super Mario Brothers where two baby chicks fight the “evil” Colonel Sanders and raise awareness for his company’s “Kentucky Fried Cruelty.” Fast forward to last year when, here at THL, we partnered with the Open Wing Alliance (OWA) to launch our own campaign against KFC’s parent company, Yum! Brands—complete with protests at KFC locations around the globe.
Last year, Yum! Brands met activists’ demands and committed to stop serving eggs that come from chickens trapped in battery cages. And now the restaurant that’s “world famous” for their fried chicken is serving a completely plant-based, chicken-free option at all of their locations.
Given these recent developments, some animal advocates are experiencing whiplash when it comes to KFC’s treatment of animals, and it’s led to heated discourse within the vegan community—even in The Humane League’s comment section. So, what should we make of KFC’s foray into plant-based meat? Should we refrain from supporting a company that’s built its brand on killing chickens, or celebrate their decision as a sign of progress for chickens?
Is KFC Beyond Fried Chicken vegan?
The first point of controversy behind KFC’s new offering is whether or not Beyond Fried Chicken Nuggets are even suitable for vegans to eat. So, let’s start with the “chicken” itself. There are lots of definitions attached to the word “vegan,” but we’ll just stick to the most straightforward one: vegan products are free from animal-derived ingredients, including meat, dairy, eggs, and honey. By this definition, yes—Beyond Fried Chicken is vegan. Beyond Meat replicates the taste of meat using all plant-based ingredients like peas, potatoes, and coconut oil. No animal products here!
So, what’s the controversy around whether or not KFC’s Beyond Fried Chicken Nuggets are actually “vegan”? Well, the issue lies not in the nuggets’ ingredients, but in how the nuggets are prepared. In its press release, KFC notes that the plant-based nuggets may be fried in the same fryers as meat-based products. The idea of food coming into contact with surfaces where meat is also prepared can, understandably, give some vegans “the ick.”
KFC is not the only restaurant where this is the case—the risk of plant-based food coming into contact with animal products is present in any commercial kitchen that isn’t 100% plant-based. The subject of “cross-contamination” between animal products and plant-based products has sparked many heated debates within the vegan community—KFC’s new menu addition has simply added more fuel to the fire.
However, when skimming comments on vegan Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and Reddit pages, it becomes clear that this issue is simply a matter of personal preference. It’s completely valid to not feel comfortable eating food that may have come into contact with animal products. At the same time, the way that Beyond Nuggets are prepared doesn’t cancel out the fact that no animals were exploited or harmed in the process of making the product. Contrary to popular belief, there’s no such thing as “the vegan police.” Whether you pass on Beyond Nuggets, or you lined up to try them on the first day, you’re not any more or less vegan.
And, the cool thing is, vegans aren’t the only ones lining up to try the new plant-based option. Which brings us to our next point…
Does plant-based fast food help animals?
As of 2019, almost 10 million adults identified as vegetarian or vegan in the United States. This number represents exponential growth in the vegan movement—in the mid 2000s, only about 290,000 people identified as vegetarian or vegan. That’s almost a 3,000% increase!
But, despite this incredible momentum, the vegan movement is still relatively small. 10 million people is only about 2% of the country’s population. The biggest challenge—and the biggest opportunity—for our movement is reaching the other 98% of the population who still eat animals. Big, recognizable names like KFC offering plant-based options, and all of the hype surrounding these offerings, can help veg advocates take on this challenge.
While becoming fully vegan is one of the best things an individual can do for animals, veg-curious omnivores are instrumental in reducing demand for animal products. When it comes to saving the lives of animals, every meal can make a difference. According to a study by Faunalytics, an organization which specializes in effective vegan advocacy, “meat reducers, semi-vegetarians, and other people are making a serious impact. By eating more —but not necessarily all—plant-based foods, they are driving the big numbers that are causing shifts among manufacturers and food service.”
One of the most visible impacts in this shift is the proliferation of plant-based offerings at big chain restaurants—not only at KFC, but at other major chains like Pizza Hut, Burger King, and even McDonald’s. After examining their sales data, World Animal Protection estimates that these franchises partnering with plant-based brands like Beyond Meat and Impossible Meat potentially spared the lives of almost 1 million animals. Even if omnivorous consumers only eat plant-based foods out of sheer curiosity, their decision to leave animals off their plates—even just for one meal—makes an impact on our food system. And that’s something to celebrate.
Beyond sales data and numbers, vegan options hitting the mainstream has the potential to change the hearts and minds of consumers who previously wouldn’t have considered how our food system harms animals and our environment. Chickens are among the most abused farm animals on the planet, and 60 billion chickens are killed to feed people’s appetites for meat each year. Sadly, we live in a food system where meat industry marketing and government subsidies have made eating chicken the cultural norm—in fact, Americans today eat almost twice as much chicken as they did 40 years ago.
The existence—and growing popularity—of plant-based chicken alternatives calls this norm into question. When local restaurants include plant-based options, they help normalize food choices that don’t harm or exploit animals and, overall, make leaving animals off your plate a much easier, more accessible choice. The normalization of veganism offers us a glimpse into a future where we can all meet our nutritional needs through plant-based foods, and where eating animals is a thing of the past.
The bottom line
Whether your reaction to the debut of KFC’s Beyond Nuggets was “heck yes!” or “no thanks,” all of the buzz surrounding innovative, plant-based products like Beyond Meat and Impossible Burgers is a net positive for animals. Every time people choose plant-based options over animal products, they help reduce demand for meat—thus, reducing the number of animals who are brutally raised and killed in factory farms every day. It may seem like a baby step, but—for every individual chicken who would be spared a life of abuse and neglect in our broken food system—incremental changes like this make a world of difference.
We all want to see the world become a kinder place for animals, but the world won’t go vegan overnight. Until then, we can create real change for animals suffering in factory farms right now by advocating for people to make more compassionate food choices. That’s why our volunteers are working to bring vegan options to communities and campuses around the country. If you want to get involved with THL’s veg advocacy work, sign up now to connect with your local field organizer!
