PETA ‘Chicken’ Delivers Petition for Vegan KFC Menu

26 May 2022

Over 10,000 People Have Signed, Calling For Cruelty-Free Options

Gold Coast – KFC staff and diners had something to crow about today, when a giant “chicken” arrived to hand-deliver a petition on behalf of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) and some 10,000 signatories. The petition, which continues to grow, is urging the fast food giant to add vegan chicken to the menu, just as it has in Asia, Europe, the UK, and the US.

“The people have spoken, and the message is clear: we want convenient, delicious vegan options at KFC,” says PETA’s Mimi Bekhechi. “We know that similar launches have not only made headlines around the world but also resulted in long lines of people hungry for change, and we believe Australia is ready to give KFC similar success in the ever-growing vegan market here.”

The Australian vegan food market is big business, worth an estimated $215 million dollars, and growing. As PETA notes in its online petition, some 2 million Aussies now choose to live meat-free, and Google reports that Australians have searched for the word “vegan” more than people in any other nation for three years running. In fact, as a search term, “vegan” has overtaken “vegetarian” in this country, indicating that more people want to reduce their consumption of all animal-derived foods.

The addition of a vegan menu at KFC’s Australian stores would put it in the company of others who have seized on the popularity of plant-based foods, including Hungry Jack’s, Grill’d, Mad Mex, and Nando’s. In the US, KFC’s plant-based Imposter Burger sold out within two days, while an incredible 1 million of the UK chain’s Original Recipe Vegan Burger – which won a PETA UK food award – were sold in just one month.

PETA – whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to eat” – notes that around 90% of the 650 million birds raised for meat in Australia come from windowless factory farms, where they are slaughtered at just 6 or 7 weeks old.

For more information, please visit PETA.org.au.