The National Week without Meat started in the Netherlands. To honor this week, fast-food chain KFC in the Dutch city of Rotterdam decided to offer only meat-free alternatives.
Early in the morning, the first guests were waiting eagerly to get their hands on some meat-free chicken. They were festively received by the employees dressed in black and green on the green carpet. A well-known Dutch YouTuber named Qucee received the first meat replacement bucket.
The Rotterdam location serves a fully vegetarian menu throughout the week, consisting of a Chickenless Burger, Chickenless Bucket, Chickenless Fingerfood, Chickenless Ricebowl, Chickenless Wrap and Chickenless Boxmeals.
The branch has also received a complete metamorphosis in terms of appearance. The typical red KFC color has given way to a fresh, bright green appearance.
Realistic taste
Passer-by Marcel is very pleased with the new options on the menu: “I just tried some of the vegetarian snacks and I was so pleasantly surprised at how realistic it tasted.”
With this marketing campaign, KFC also attracts completely new customers. Darryl and Mariova are a vegetarian couple and they have not been to the fast-food restaurant for years. They’re looking forward to tasting the new range of vegetarian products. “I definitely think this is a step forward. In this way, people can get to know products that are vegetarian,” Mariova said.
In 2018, the Dutch ate an average of 77.2 kilos of meat per person, according to Wageningen University & Research. The Week without Meat in Holland is meant to stimulate people to eat less meat to save the planet. On their website, they say that every person who keeps up the week saves 130 liters, 76 kilometers driving and 770 grams of an animal.
Shocking undercover footage
Last week People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) released shocking undercover footage inside a chicken farm where KFC gets their chickens from. Animal organizations hope this week will inspire the company to also look critically at their chicken suppliers.
From today, the new Chickenless Chicken Burger is also available in all KFC restaurants in the Netherlands. With this, KFC responds to the high demand for vegan and vegetarian alternatives.
