“It’s all right,” is Jordan’s verdict on KFC’s “Imposter Burger”, although he could tell it wasn’t chicken.
The
32-year-old would normally choose KFC’s standard chicken fillet burger
but he has come with a colleague from the Medway in Kent to try out the
fast food chain’s temporary vegan addition to its menu.
“It’s a bit lighter,” he tells me patting his stomach. He doesn’t think he’d have it again, it might leave him too hungry.
I’ve come to KFC’s Gloucester Road, London
restaurant, one of 20 KFC branches across the UK trialling the Imposter
Burger over the next four weeks, to see what customers make of it. Made
from Quorn, a fungus-based meat substitute, it is the chain’s first
attempt at a vegan alternative to its chicken burger.
Jordan’s colleague Laura, a vegetarian, is delighted that she’s finally being catered for. She and Jordan both work for the police and KFC is a regular meal break outing for staff. “I felt like I was missing out,” she says. “Everyone would go there and I’d just get chips or beans.”
KFC, best known for its meat products, is the latest fast food chain to jump on the vegan bandwagon.
At
the start of the year McDonald’s started selling vegetable wraps.
Smaller chains such as Byron Burger are offering vegan burgers too,
while bakery chain Greggs heavily publicised the launch of its vegan
sausage roll. Over in the US Burger King is currently rolling out a
vegan Whopper.
The supermarkets are also expanding their
vegetarian and vegan offerings, including substitute “meat” designed to
mimic the look, smell and taste of the real thing.
Mujahid Ali,
working behind the counter at KFC and sporting a green “finger lickin”
vegan badge, says business has been brisk. It’s only midday and he
reckons they’ve already sold 80 to 90 of the chicken-substitute
products. Demand is so high there’s a 10 minute wait for my burger
order.
When it finally comes it certainly looks like the real thing. But when I bite into it I can immediately tell the difference. It’s a bit dry and despite the spices it’s bland and unmemorable. I struggle to eat the whole thing.
Others are less critical.
Ellen, a vegan from
Wimbledon in London, thinks the burger tastes fine. “It’s not the same
but it’s good enough for me,” the 21-year-old graduate says.
Her friend, Sergio, 20, a vegetarian, says he’s always had a weakness for KFC, and he would be happy to buy it again.
The
number of vegans, people who do not eat meat, poultry, fish, or any
products derived from animals, including eggs, dairy products, and
gelatin, only make up just over 1% of the UK population, but the number
is growing.
What used to be seen as a rather joyless diet choice
is now right on trend, with celebrities such as Ariana Grande and Miley
Cyrus talking about avoiding animal products. Meanwhile #vegan has more
than 80 million posts listed on Instagram.
There are also growing
numbers of people cutting back on meat, with 14% of Brits now describing
themselves as flexitarians, those who are primarily vegetarian but
occasionally eat meat or fish”, according to market research firm YouGov.
More people want to try the vegan lifestyle due to
environmental, rather than health reasons, says vegan Instagrammer Lucie
Johnson behind the Ugly Vegan account.
“Veganism had a reputation
for being an exclusive and expensive diet for yoga mums and hippies;
heavily involving expensive salads, whole foods, smoothies and ‘buddha
bowls’.
The fact that many vegans are no longer choosing the lifestyle for its dietary or health benefits means “lots of us want to eat dirty too,” she says. Veganism is no longer just for yoga mums and hippies, says Lucie Johnson.
Of course, this trend means some of the health
benefits of going vegan are lost. At 450 calories, the highly processed
KFC vegan burger is only slightly less fattening then the 475 calorie
standard chicken burger. With a fizzy drink and chips that’s still
almost half your daily recommended intake.
“Well-planned vegan
diets can be really healthy. However, just because a product is vegan it
doesn’t always mean it is the most healthy choice,” cautions the
British Nutrition Foundation. “It’s still important to check nutrition
labels.”
“It’s early days, let’s see how the test
goes. We’re not going to change our name to KFV [Kentucky Fried Vegan]
from KFC,” he says.
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