HAPPY THANKSGIVING TO OUR US BLOG FOLLOWERS! (and belated to our Canadian subscribers!)
In honor of chickens who are being spared from today’s national US holiday (sorry turkeys…), I came across this interesting news from KFC Canada that it will begin testing a new fibre-based spork in December. Once the piece of cutlery is introduced permanently across Canada, KFC will eliminate 40 million pieces of plastic waste from its operations.
The new ‘spork’ combines fork and spoon into one and is made from bamboo, corn and sugarcane. This mixture is compostable at room temperature – breaking down into biomass, carbon dioxide and water. According to KFC Canada, this natural process requires no additional treatment and leaves no toxic by-products, taking only 18-months to decompose.
Earlier this year, KFC announced that by the end of 2021 it will remove 12 million plastic poutine containers from its operations by switching to a bamboo packaging solution. Additionally, within the last year, KFC eliminated 50 million plastic straws, 10 million plastic bags and 22 million Styrofoam containers from its system – replacing them all with fibre-based alternatives.
Another recent sustainability announcement from KFC Canada and this time chickens in Canada will eternally be grateful, is the permanent inclusion of plant-based KFC sandwiches in the company’s menu in the region which started in 10 August this year using plant-based proteins provided by Lightlife Foods, a Massachusetts-based manufacturer of vegetarian and vegan meat substitutes owned by Maple Leaf Foods.
The Plant-Based KFC sandwich reportedly delivers the same great taste of chicken—but made with plants. Plant-Based KFC Popcorn will also be available for a limited time while quantities last. KFC in the USA, meanwhile has been doing limited test-runs on their Beyond Fried Chicken in cities such as Atlanta, Charlotte, Nashville and Southern Californa since last year. However, KFC does not have any plans yet to bring the plant-based chicken sandwich permanently in its US menus.
KFC Corporation is a subsidiary of YUM! Brands Inc. and operates more than 23,000 restaurants in more than 140 countries and territories around the world including more than 600 locations in Canada.
Here’s a really neat overview of who’s who in the plant-based meat market compiled from an article by Food Navigator. I have vegetarian friends who are very happy having these options although don’t get me started in trying to answer their questions about processed food, GMOs, sustainable food sourcing, etc.
Enjoy the holiday and stay safe everyone!
