Yum China Holdings Inc. is partnering with plant-based "meat" provider, Beyond Meat Inc., to introduce the Beyond Burger as an LTO at select KFC, Pizza Hut and Taco Bell locations in mainland China starting June 3, a news release said. This partnership marks the introduction of Beyond Meat's Beyond Burger in mainland China.

"We see great potential for the plant-based meat market in China," Joey Wat, CEO of Yum China, said in the release. "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 optimize flavors and processes and help assess the potential for larger scale rollouts in the future."

KFC will offer the Beyond Burger as a 3-day limited time offer at five locations in Beijing, Chengdu, Hangzhou and Shanghai. Pizza Hut is also launching its first-ever burger offerings by testing a combo set that includes both a Beyond Burger and an Australian sirloin steak burger at six stores in Shanghai from June 8 to June 11. Pre-sale coupons are required for participating in the test and are available only for Pizza Hut's members starting today.

Meanwhile, Taco Bell will offer a taco made with the plant-based Beyond Burger patty at three stores in Shanghai from June 3-10. The taco combines Taco Bell's classic taco recipe with a crispy corn taco, signature Mexican spices and ingredients such as chipotle and black beans, vegetables and unique sauce.

Prior to partnering with Beyond Meat, KFC and Taco Bell had previously conducted tests of plant-based meat products in China. In April 2020, KFC tested plant-based chicken nuggets at select stores in Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Shenzhen, while in December 2019, Taco Bell tested a plant-based pork taco at select stores in Shanghai. 

This website is awaiting response from Yum Brands on whether any of the plant-based offerings being introduced in China might also be available in other parts of the world in some form, including the U.S. 

Yum China Holdings Inc. is a licensee of Yum! Brands in mainland China. It has exclusive rights in mainland China to KFC, Pizza Hut, and Taco Bell, and also owns the Little Sheep, Huang Ji Huang, East Dawning and COFFii & JOY concepts outright. The company had 9,295 restaurants in over 1,400 cities at the end of March 2020.

Copyright © 2020 Networld Media. All rights reserved., source Industry News