This post is by Bernie Carr, apartmentprepper.com
Today’s post is a bit different from my usual emergency preparedness topics, but long time readers know I occasionally share interesting or out of the ordinary news worthy items I come across.
I thought I’d share this piece of news I just heard about: KFC is working with a Russian 3-D bio-printing company to produce lab grown chicken nuggets!
What is KFC doing?
There are a couple of pieces to the story:
1. Bioprinting lab grown meat
KFC will produce lab grown meat by taking chicken cells from a small slice of chicken meat. Scientists then grow the cells into a cluster of cells so they can turn them into a paste to be bioprinted into sheets. These sheets can then be seasoned and processed into chunks of meat with the flavor of KFC signature style chicken nuggets.
2. Working with the company Beyond Meat
KFC has already tested a new product called Beyond Fried Chicken in Atlanta, Georgia earlier this year. It was said that the consumer test was a success as the product sold out in less than five hours.
Beyond Fried Chicken is a plant-based protein and they are already marketing it to be sold in Southern California this July.
True or False?
When I first heard about this, I thought it had to be fake news. I’ve eaten KFC chicken over the years, and always liked the brand so I had to investigate.
Lab grown chicken:
It turns out that the prospect of lab grown chicken nuggets is true:
According to a July 16, 2020 news release from the KFC global website,
“KFC is taking the next step in its innovative concept of creating a “restaurant of the future” by launching the development of innovative 3D bioprinting technology to create chicken meat in cooperation with the 3D Bioprinting Solutions research laboratory.”
“The idea of “crafting the “meat of the future” arose among partners in response to the growing popularity of a healthy lifestyle and nutrition, the annual increase in demand for alternatives to traditional meat and the need to develop more environmentally friendly methods of food production. The project aims to create the world’s first laboratory-produced chicken nuggets.”
Beyond Fried Chicken:
In regards to Beyond Fried Chicken, the KFC website does show they have partnered with Beyond Meat to sell this plant-based chicken nugget. It is not considered vegetarian or vegan but is “plant-based.”
From the KFC website:
What is Beyond Fried Chicken?
Beyond Fried Chicken (developed exclusively for KFC by our friends at Beyond Meat) was the first plant-based protein to be offered at a national chicken chain in the U.S. Beyond Fried Chicken packs all the delicious flavor you’ve come to expect from KFC into a plant-based option for our customers.
W hat does “plant-based” mean?Plant-based protein is derived from plants and not animals.
Where does the protein in Beyond Fried Chicken come from?The primary source of protein in Beyond Fried Chicken comes from wheat and soy.
What Beyond Fried Chicken products are available? KFC Beyond Fried Chicken is available with a side of your favorite dipping sauce, such as our signature Finger Lickin’ Good sauce, or tossed in one of three tasty sauce options: Nashville Hot, Buffalo or Honey BBQ.
How is Beyond Fried Chicken prepared? Beyond Fried Chicken is fried by the cooks in each participating KFC restaurant.
The final word
So both reports are true. It sounds like KFC truly is working on these meat alternatives.
My only concern is, if this becomes more common, I would want to know how the meat was produced, whether it came from a real cow, chicken or pig, or whether it was grown in a lab and made to look and taste like meat. I’d prefer the real meats myself.
It’s up to consumers to decide whether this is for them.
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About the author:
Bernie Carr is the founder of Apartment Prepper. She has written several books including the best-selling Prepper’s Pocket Guide, Jake and Miller’s Big Adventure, The Penny-Pinching Prepper and How to Prepare for Most Emergencies on a $50 a Month Budget. Her work appears in sites such as the Allstate Blog and Clark.com, as well as print magazines such as Backwoods Survival Guide and Prepper Survival Guide. She has been featured in national publications such as Fox Business and Popular Mechanics. Learn more about Bernie here.