NEW YORK (Reuters) — Yum Brands Inc’s KFC restaurants will start selling plant-based fried “chicken” from Beyond Meat Inc across the United States on Jan. 10 for a limited time, KFC said on Tuesday.
Beyond shares rose more than 7% in after-market trading. KFC, Yum’s biggest brand, had nearly 4,000 restaurants in the United States at the end of 2020, according to a regulatory filing.
KFC started testing Beyond’s plant-based chicken in August 2019 in Atlanta and expanded to more areas the following year.
In February 2021, Yum and Beyond announced a global partnership to create plant-based menu items for Yum’s KFC, Taco Bell and Pizza Hut over “the next several years.”
Major fast-food chains have been vying for partnerships with faux meat makers as they add vegan and vegetarian menu options. Beyond rival Impossible Foods Inc is working with Burger King, a unit of Restaurant Brands International Inc.
Prices for the Beyond Fried Chicken at KFC will start at $6.99 in most places but vary by location.
Reporting by Hilary Russ; Editing by Richard Pullin and Karishma Singh
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