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American fast-food chain, Chick-fil-A, has said it’s ‘looking at’ developing ‘a vegetarian or a vegan option’ after ‘studying vegan menu items and meat substitutes for a few years’.
In an interview with Business Insider, the eatery’s Executive Director, Amanda Norris, said the company is ‘always interested in what’s happening in food’.
‘Alternative protein’
She added: “Specifically … a vegetarian option or a vegan option is something we’re looking at, we’re thinking about and have some [research and development].
“We’re certainly wanting to broaden our thinking and really start big in that funnel and come down… We think it is certainly beyond just no meat on salads or no meat in a wrap. It might be some kind of alternative protein on a sandwich.”
Norris also told Business Insider it can take from 18 to 24 months for a new menu item to go from ‘a spark of inspiration to being served in stores’.
Vegan options
Chick-fil-A, well known for its chicken sandwiches, currently offers a few items on its menus that can be customized for vegans, but currently, there isn’t any vegetarian or vegan main entreés.
Veganuary state the chain’s plant-based offerings include Waffle Potato Fries, Hash Browns (Breakfast Only), Plain Bagels, and a Fruit Cup.
Controversy
Chick-fil-A is unpopular with many consumers due to its history of donating large amounts of money to anti-LGBTQ charities.
According to ThinkProgress, the chicken outlet donated ‘more than $1.8 million to a trio of groups with a record of anti-LGBTQ discrimination’ in 2017 – an increase from the year before, despite the company’s ‘latest claims that it has no political or social agenda’.
In addition, the company ‘refuses to include explicit protection against discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity in its employment non-discrimination policy’, the outlet reports.
*This story was updated on May 14 to include information about Chick-fil-A’s anti-LGBTQ’s donations.
