KFC to trial veggie-friendly meat alternatives in the UK next year

The fast food company hopes to launch the vegetarian alternative in the UK next year, and hints that it will have a similar flavour to its regular fried chicken. 

 “Development of the recipe is still in its very early stages, and so the options we’re exploring in our kitchen are still top secret,” says a spokesperson for the company.

"Once we’ve perfected the recipe we aim to test with customers this year, and if all goes well, we hope to launch a new vegetarian option in 2019," the spokesperson continued. 

The news follows KFC's pledge to reduce the amount of calories per serving in its meals by 20% by 2025 in its UK and Ireland stores.

“We always look to respond to the latest changes in lifestyle and dining habits of our customers and a key part of that for our business in the UK is offering lighter options and more choice,” says a spokesperson.

“That’s why we’re looking into vegetarian options that would offer the great taste of KFC to new and existing customers who are changing their dining habits.”

In October last year, McDonald’s trialled its ‘McVegan’ plant-based burger in several stores in Finland before rolling it out across the entire country as well as across Sweden.

Last month, Byron added new vegetarian and vegan items to its menu as part of its image revamp, in response to increased demand across the country​ for plant-based products