Meat-alternative firm Beyond Meat has sealed another deal in China that will see its plant-based burgers appear on the menus of fast-food chains KFC, Pizza Hut and Taco Bell.
The partnership with the chains’ owner Yum China Holdings marks the debut of the US-based company’s Beyond Burger in China, although Beyond Meat signed a deal with Starbucks earlier this year for its meat-free mince.
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Starting on 3 June, the Beyond Burger will be on the menus of select KFC, Pizza Hut and Taco Bell outlets in mainland China for a limited time offer.
Beyond Meat’s founder and chief executive, Ethan Brown, said: “I’m excited about what this launch means in terms of together being of service to the Chinese consumer as they seek out the nutritional and environmental benefits of our delicious plant-based meats. More generally, our partnership with Yum China and the iconic brands of KFC, Pizza Hut and Taco Bell is an encouraging and important milestone toward increased accessibility to our plant-based meat globally.”
KFC will offer the Beyond Burger over three days from 3 June in five locations in Beijing, Chengdu, Hangzhou and Shanghai.
Pizza Hut is launching what will be the chain’s first-ever burger with the Beyond Meat brand, which will feature as part of a combo meal in six stores in Shanghai from 8-11 June.
Taco Bell will have the Beyond Burger in a taco at three stores in Shanghai from 3-10 June.
Joey Wat, the CEO of Yum China Holdings, added: “We see great potential for the plant-based meat market in China. This latest introduction across KFC, Pizza Hut and Taco Bell brands is expected to capture valuable consumer feedback across different regions. It will enable us to optimise flavours and processes and help assess the potential for larger scale roll-outs in the future.”
