KFC Permanently Adds Plant-Based Lightlife Chicken Sandwich to Menu in Canada

KFC Canada is adding a plant-based chicken sandwich to its menu and it's here to stay. Starting August 10th, the fried "chicken" sandwich, made with Lightlife vegan chicken, will be a permanent menu item in all KFC restaurants in Canada.

Back in November, KFC Canada market-tested a plant-based chicken sandwich in Ontario. “When we tested Plant-Based KFC by Lightlife late last year, we sold over a month’s worth of sandwiches in six hours,” said Samantha Redman, Chief Marketing Officer of KFC Canada. KFC quickly realized the high-demand of plant-based on its menu, resulting in the sandwich becoming a permanent menu item in Canada.

Unlike Burger King's Impossible Whopper, KFC's vegan chicken will be prepared in a separate fryer than the meat to avoid cross-contamination. The vegan chicken will share the same fryer as the french fries, which are vegan according to PETA. Although the sandwich does seem to feature mayonnaise, it can easily be subbed out for ketchup, BBQ sauce, or the Sweet N Tangy sauce so that the item becomes vegan-friendly.

The sandwich won't be the only plant-based item on the menu. For a limited time, KFC will sell vegan popcorn chicken. The sandwich and popcorn chicken are available as a boxed meal or sold separately.

Vegan chicken has been market-tested in various locations throughout the U.S. but using Beyond Chicken rather than Lightlife. Atlanta was the first place to get their hands on KFC's vegan chicken, and within five hours it was sold out. This success led to 70 locations in Charlotte, NC, Nashville, TN, and most recently, 50 locations in Southern California getting to taste the menu item for themselves.

"Whether you enjoy a vegetarian or flexitarian lifestyle—or you’re one of our loyal fans looking for something new, Plant-Based KFC is a modern take on our world-famous classics,” said Redman. Fast-food chains are recognizing the need for plant-based options on its menus. Making the plant-based sandwich a permanent menu item is a huge win even if its in Canada. Fingers-crossed that KFCs in the U.S. will be next!