OPINION: Apart from burgers, nothing quite sums up fast food like the humble chicken nugget. Claire Hamlett discusses whether the buzz surrounding Burger King’s new vegan-friendly version could be signalling the end of intensively reared chickens.
This year’s Veganuary has seen the launch of a huge number of new vegan products, from Philadelphia cream cheese to new menu items in restaurants across the country. But one in particular has caused a stir after hosts of ITV’s This Morning taste-tested it on a recent episode: Burger King’s new vegan chicken nuggets.
“What’s the point of eating chicken when you can eat those?” asked presenter Alison Hammond, after trying them alongside the original chicken version. Good question, Alison. Indeed, with processed and fried chicken products now so easy to replicate with plant-based alternatives, Burger King’s nuggets should be the beginning of the end for fast-food chicken.
More than 66 billion chickens are slaughtered globally every year, with the UK alone being responsible for a billion of those deaths. Fast food chains account for a significant portion of the chickens killed in the UK. British farms supply KFC with more than 23 million chickens a year, while in 2010 McDonald’s accounted for around 30 million (a figure that will have increased as McDonald’s has grown year-on-year). Burger King won’t reveal its figures, but on the basis of its competitors’ data plus its size, it is likely to sell the meat of several million chickens a year. It is impossible to farm this many chickens without them suffering horrendously as well as risking the spread of zoonotic diseases like avian flu, and taking a serious toll on the environment.
Multiple reports from the last couple of years have shown that rising demand for chicken in the UK is driving deforestation in South America, where soya is grown for chicken feed. Last week Surge wrote about a recent investigation showing that Cargill, a major UK chicken feed supplier, plays a big role in the destruction of the Brazilian Cerrado. A 2020 Greenpeace report revealed how UK companies selling chicken, including fast-food chains, supermarkets, and poultry producers, have no idea if their chicken is linked to deforestation.
Why continue with all this destruction and misery when we don’t have to? The success of Burger King’s vegan nuggets in replicating the taste and texture of its chicken nuggets shows that fast-food chains could feasibly replace all their processed, fried chicken products with plant-based versions – all with no effort on the part of their customers. While it’s never been easier to go vegan, getting used to new foods and making different choices while shopping for groceries or eating out remains a barrier for some people. By offering people the same food that they already enjoy, only vegan, fast food chains are in a position to make a huge difference to animals and the planet without having to rely on their customers choosing the better option.
