Beyond Meat Giving Away Free Vegan Chicken on National Fried Chicken Day

Beyond Meat is making sure plant-based consumers don't feel left out of the celebration this National Fried Chicken Day. The alternative meat giant is planning to give away free vegan chicken tenders on July 27th to promote the company’s new Beyond Chicken Tenders. The vegan brand will be partnering with DoorDash to crest $15 to any order including Beyond Chicken Tenders giving consumers the opportunity to try the new plant-based protein. The deal aims to give consumers the chance to consider plant-based protein as a viable alternative to conventional chicken.

“Our mission is to make delicious, better-for-you plant-based options accessible to everyone,” a Beyond Meat representative told VegNews. “We are excited about all the positive taste reviews that have started to roll in following our launch of Beyond Chicken Tender across the country, and knew we had to find a way to give more consumers the opportunity to try and enjoy our latest product innovation. We partnered with DoorDash because the added convenience of on-demand delivery allows even more consumers - particularly Gen Z and Millennials - to try Beyond Chicken Tenders this National Chicken Tender Day.”

The DoorDash partnership follows Beyond Meat’s national debut of its Beyond Chicken Tenders earlier this month. The food tech company began distribution with nearly 400 restaurants across the United States, bringing the new plant-based chicken product to consumers nationwide. The company’s Chief Innovation Officer, Dariush Ajami, stated that the company is “innovating the poultry market with the new Beyond Chicken Tenders - the result of [its] tireless pursuit for excellence and growth.”

Now, plant-based diners can find this plant-based chicken made into innovative burgers at vegan Next Level Burger or straight up alongside signature sauces at restaurants including Fire Wings, Bad Mutha Clucka, and Bird Bird Biscuit. The Beyond Chicken Tenders locations can be found on the Beyond Meat website. The company is aiming to increase its range, making the plant-based chicken one of the most accessible proteins.

Beyond Meat’s signature item is the Beyond Burger, one of the pioneering plant-based burger patties to hit the market. Since its release in 2016, the company has redesigned the burger’s recipe three times, revealing its Beyond Burger 3.0 earlier this year. The newest version contains 35 percent less total fat and 35 percent less saturated fat, highlighting the company’s focus on nutrition within plant-based alternatives.

The food tech company originally experimented with plant-based chicken in 2012. The company developed a vegan chicken strip that became widely available, but the chicken stopped being produced shortly after. Over the last decade, Beyond Meat researched how to create the best plant-based chicken product that would cook, taste, and feel like conventional chicken. The Chicken Tender uses a mixture of pea protein and faba beans to create the consistency necessary to replicate conventional chicken.

“Now, more than ever, consumers are becoming more aware of the health implications of their food choices— specifically, the health concerns associated with animal protein, which is driving greater interest and trial in Beyond Meat,” the representative continued. “Throughout the pandemic, we have been able to continue meeting consumer demand for meat amid nationwide animal meat shortages. The growing interest in plant-based meat coupled with skyrocketing demand for chicken makes this the perfect time to launch plant-based chicken. Chicken is also the most popular meat in America, so we see a huge opportunity to reach an even wider segment of consumers.”

Beyond Meat is also moving into the fast-food world. Earlier this year, the company announced that it will be partnering with Panda Express to reveal its Beyond the Original Orange Chicken at locations in New York City and Los Angeles. The company is hoping to breakthrough the fast-food market, giving consumers nationwide a chance to choose a plant-based alternative. The company also tested its Beyond Chicken in 2019 at KFC. Since then, Beyond has announced a future partnership with Yum! Brands, which could see its plant-based products entering KFC, Taco Bell, and Pizza Hut menus in the near future.

Sir James Paul McCartney is no stranger to a meat-free life as he's been vegetarian for 45 years. He initially went vegetarian in 1975 with his first wife Linda McCartney and began his advocacy for animal rights.

If you find yourself constantly singing along to the song The Greatest, then you're already a Sia fan. Sia tweeted that she is "fully vegan now" back in 2014 and stays true to her word

Way back at the start of Grey's Anatomy, Sandra Oh took the cast out for a plant-based lunch at Truly Vegan in Hollywood. In her effort to inspire contemporaries to eat vegan, the TV star is known to invite her friends for vegan meals that are delicious. She adopted the vegan lifestyle years ago and continues to quietly live a cruelty-free life.

Giselle revealed that when she was at the peak of her modeling career, her diet consisted of "cigarettes, wine, and mocha Frappuccinos," according to an interview in People Magazine. Now 39 and the mother of two children, Gisele eats a "mostly" plant-based diet to nourish her body and stay fueled.

Alec Baldwin has made a bigger commitment to plant-based eating since he was first told by doctors that he was pre-diabetic and needed to change his diet. That was decades ago. But, over the last few years, he's been vocal about the benefits not only to his health but also the impact plant-based eating has on the environment.

We all remember Pamela Anderson as the curvaceous blonde in the hit series Baywatch as she played Casey Jean in the red one-piece swimsuit that brought her world-class fame. She is a life-long active animal rights advocate and teamed up with PETA to join the Animal Protection Organization.

"We shouldn't eat as much meat guys," Kristen Stewart told GQ in an interview in January. The Twilight star has made a full 180 from vampire to vegan. When she appeared on the game show "Hot Ones" she chose to skip the wings and instead compete by eating increasing spicier sauce on vegan cauliflower wings.

This award-winning actor eats a high-protein diet consisting of only plants. Leto, who has been plant-based for 20 years, says it keeps him "shredded" in an interview. Now, 48, Leto looks half his age.

Jaden Smith switched up his diet from vegan to vegetarian, meaning that he doesn't eat meat but does eat dairy from time to time. In a recent article by Plant Based News, Smith admits he skipped meals and was not getting the proper nutrition when he was vegan, but this hasn't stopped him from espousing the plant-based life.

Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex has never admitted to being fully vegan, but sources say, she eats a plant-based diet most days during the week. She is teaching Prince Harry vegan cooking and in a Plant-Based News article, Markle explained how she hopes to raise baby Archie on a mostly vegan diet.

As a professional athlete, fueling the body is a key factor to Willaim's successes. In a Bon Appetite article, she explained that she adopted a plant-based diet back in 2012, she was eating a lot "healthier" for her sister, Venus, who eats a strict vegan diet for health reasons.

The popular grocery store, Whole Foods Market sells vegan products and nonvegan products which arises black lash from ethical vegans as CEO John Mackey follows a strict vegan diet. The successful businessman grew up in Houston Texas and told Business Insider that he would traditionally eat processed foods for dinner while watching TV with his family. Now, Mackey steers clear from the processed isle and eats a clean vegan diet and feels amazing at the age of 65.

Jason Mraz, singer of the popular song, I'm Yours, committed to a vegan diet to support his friend diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes. Mraz says he eats mostly raw food and told magazine sources his favorite vegan dish is "Chocomole, a mixture of avocados, dates, cacao, agave nectar, and coconut oil."

Long time vegan, Leona Lewis grew up in a vegan household and continues to eat a plant-based diet. Lewis first adopted the diet at 12 when she learned about the health risks of eating animal products but told Women's Health Magazine she occasionally eats an omelet. She also mentioned her 2:30 lunch is normally a kale salad topped with dried cranberries and she loves a veggie stir-fry for dinner.

Hannah Teter changed her diet after watching the documentary, Earthlings when she discovered how "horrible" factory farming is. After a strict vegetarian diet, Teter liked the way she performed as an athlete and believes that her diet helped her win gold at the 2006 games.

You may recognize Maggie Q as the star of the Nikita series, but in the plant-based world, she's well-known for her heroic activism. Maggie Q has followed a strict vegan diet for 19 years, making her a true veteran of the lifestyle. She made the plant-based diet transition because she felt sluggish and had low energy, she has said. The famous actress keeps in shape by eating veggies and plant-based protein and working out with a passion.

Winner of the first Masterchef vegan cook-off with Gordon Ramsay, Madelaine Petsch was raised vegetarian and went completely vegan at age 14. She claims that she started this diet before it was "trendy" and shot a campaign for PETA last year wearing a dress made of bok choy. Petsch says her vegan diet allows her to feel "healthier" and not "lethargic."

After doing a little sleuthing on her social media platforms we think Millie Bobbi Brown qualifies as plant-based. Whether or not she is actually skipping all meat and dairy, one thing is for sure: She eats mostly salads, vegetables and grains and lives a predominantly plant-based lifestyle full of healthy foods.

The grammy-nominated sisters went vegan for a week with their mom but liked it so much they decided to stick with it. For one thing, it helps keep their "voices in shape" by eating a vegan diet and they emphasize the fact that dairy helps to limit extra mucus build-up, according to a PETA interview.

Best known for her role as Lizzie Mcguire in the long-running series, Hilary Duff is a recent vegan advocate and entrepreneur. She recently launched the vegan and cruelty-free eyeshadow palette, "Day Dreamer" and changed her diet to plant-based last fall.