What Chicken Shortage? Beyond Meat’s Plant-Based Chicken is Coming Soon

There may be a nationwide chicken shortage but fans of the taste of fried chicken can be bolstered by the news that Beyond Meat’s vegan chicken is on the horizon, according to a report from Bloomberg.  The business news service just reported that the company is teasing out the nationwide retail launch of its plant-based chicken, expected to be on sale this summer.

A Beyond Fried Chicken menu item has already made its appearance at KFC in Atlanta in 2019, but fans have been eagerly anticipating the retail rollout of a Beyond Meat plant-based 'poultry' product. The company’s increased momentum and popularity have allowed for it to expand its product line, developing several beef and pork alternatives that have left fans hoping that a plant-based chicken will be seen on shelves soon.

Beyond’s CEO Ethan Brown announced in 2019 that the company is working on ‘exciting things’ within the plant-based poultry market. The company partnered with KFC to debut the vegan fried chicken in Atlanta, which saw unpredictably high volumes and sold out within five hours.

This year, Beyond Meat announced that it would be partnering with Yum! Brands, the parent company of KFC, Taco Bell, and Pizza Hut. After the immediate and overwhelming success of Beyond Meat’s vegan fried chicken at KFC, customers will soon be able to purchase the plant-based menu item nationwide. The two companies plan to develop menu items that will appeal to more than just its plant-based consumers, creating meat alternatives that rival the conventional favorites.

“Given the consumer response during recent tests with Beyond Meat,” Yum! Brands CFO Chris Tuner said. “We’re excited about the long-term potential plant-based protein menu items to have to attract more customers to our brands, especially younger consumers. We expect this Beyond Meat partnership to strengthen our brands’ capability to offer delicious, plant-based menu items that are driven by consumer demands for more diverse protein options and our brands’ strategies in the local market.”

Beyond also signed a deal with the McDonald’s corporation that will make the company the fast-food chain’s sole distributor for its upcoming McPlant Burger. Beyond’s partnership with McDonald’s will likely lead to more than just the plant-based burger’s menu debut.

This week, Beyond revealed the third iteration of its Beyond Burger formula. The new burger will both be its healthiest and tastiest rendition of its famous recipe.

“We’re continuously working on understanding beef flavor at a deeper level to ensure our plant-based beef platform delivers a delicious and satisfying sensory experience,” Chief Innovation Officer of Beyond Meat Dariush Ajami said to Plant Based News. “The New Beyond Burger’s rich flavor profile resembles that of ground beef. Extensive testing with our consumers validated this new flavor direction with likeability scoring on-par with 80/20 ground beef burgers.”
Beyond’s accelerating pace is taking the company to every sector of the plant-based market. Soon, Beyond hopes to see its presence in every meat alternative market, providing several tasty plant-based proteins for its hungry customers.