Bowing to pressure from animal rights organisation PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals), KFC in Canada has agreed to add a vegan mock chicken option to its fast food menu.

The new meal deal only applies to KFC stores in Canada. Canadian stores are owned be a different company than in other countries, and are the only ones to have given in to PETA’s demands. After more than five years of pressure, the fast-food chain has agreed to the following:

1. Phase in purchases of 100 percent of its chickens from suppliers that use controlled-atmosphere killing (CAK)—the least cruel form of poultry slaughter ever developed.
KFC Canada is the first major restaurant chain to commit to phasing in the exclusive purchasing of chicken meat from CAK slaughterhouses.

2. Add a vegan faux-chicken item to the menu of all 461 Priszm-owned KFC restaurants
More than half of all the KFCs in Canada are owned by Priszm.

3. Improve its animal welfare audit criteria
This is aimed at reducing the number of broken bones and other injuries suffered by birds.

4. Urge its suppliers to adopt better practices
This included improved lighting, lower stocking density and ammonia levels, and a phase-out of growth-promoting drugs and breeding practices that painfully cripple chickens.

5. Form an animal welfare advisory panel
The panel will monitor the changes and recommend further advancements.

PETA is continuing to promote boycotts of KFC stores in other countries until they agree to the same conditions.

While the Canada situation is a great win for PETA (and the animals involved) and gives vegans an easy option for cheap takeaway food, do we really want to be supporting these types of corporate giants with our food dollars? I, for one, won’t be eating the ‘Vegan Zinger” if it ever makes it onto KFC Australia’s menu. Not finger lickin’ good at all!

WORDS: Emily Clark