Fast-food restaurant operator Yum China has joined forces with Beyond Meat to introduce the plant-based Beyond Burger across some of its fast-food subsidiaries in mainland China.
The partnership, which marks the entry of Beyond Burger in mainland China, will see the plant-based burger available as a limited time offering at select KFC, Pizza Hut and Taco Bell locations.
By joining forces, the companies are exploring the increasingly popular concept of plant-based food products around the world and the establishment of the concept in China.
From 3 June, KFC will offer the Beyond Burger as a three-day limited time offer at five locations in Beijing, Chengdu, Hangzhou and Shanghai.
Meanwhile, Pizza Hut is testing a combo set that includes both a Beyond Burger and an Australian sirloin steak burger at six stores in Shanghai from 8-11 June.
Between 3 and 10 June, Taco Bell will offer its classic taco recipe but made with the plant-based Beyond Burger patty at three stores in Shanghai.
The announcement closely follows Beyond Meat’s entry into the country through a partnership with Starbucks, in which it used Beyond Beef to create three new dishes for its lunch menu.
“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,” said Ethan Brown, Beyond Meat founder and CEO.
He added: “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.”
Prior to this, Yum China had previously conducted tests of plant-based meat products in China. In April 2020, KFC tested plant-based chicken nuggets, supplied by Cargill, while in December 2019, Taco Bell tested a plant-based pork taco at select stores in Shanghai.
Following its successful trial with Yum China, Cargill announced plans to introduce more plant-based food products to the food service sectors in China, as well as introduce a new consumer brand called PlantEver.
Joey Wat, CEO of Yum China, said: “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 in China.
“It will enable us to optimise flavours and processes and help assess the potential for larger scale rollouts in the future. This exciting development is the latest iteration of our on-going commitment to introduce new and innovative products to Chinese consumers.”
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