PETA to Chick-fil-A: Want to Modernize? Add a Vegan Sandwich

Faux Chicken Would Satisfy Diners’ Taste Buds and Desire for ‘Clean Ingredients’

For Immediate Release:
April 9, 2014

Contact:
Sophia Charchuk 202-483-7382

Chick-fil-A recently announced its intent to modernize its business with a new line of healthier entrées with “clean ingredients” and a “transparent” cooking process—and in a letter sent to the chain’s president this morning, PETA suggests offering customers “the cleanest option of all” by adding a faux-chicken dish to the menu.

As PETA points out in its letter, vegan food is both healthy and a hot trend in today’s restaurant business—and any customer concerned about “transparency” would be far more likely to enjoy watching how soybeans are turned into faux-chicken strips than seeing how chickens have their throats cut while they’re still conscious and how many are scalded to death in defeathering tanks.

“Today’s most successful restaurant chains recognize the importance of healthy, meat-free options—so a ‘No-Chicken-fil-A’ would be a great way for Chick-fil-A to start modernizing,” says PETA Executive Vice President Tracy Reiman. “A faux-chicken sandwich on Chick-fil-A’s menu would make it easier than ever for consumers to enjoy a meal without all the saturated animal fat, cholesterol, and cruelty associated with eating meat.”

For more information, please visit PETA.org.

PETA’s letter to Chick-fil-A President and CEO Dan Cathy follows.

April 9, 2014

Dan Cathy
President and Chief Executive Officer
Chick-fil-A

Via e-mail: [email protected]

Dear Mr. Cathy,

I’m writing on behalf of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) and our more than 3 million members and supporters. As you mentioned in your USA Today interview, there has been a tremendous increase in the number of people who are looking for “clean ingredients.” That must be considered when you’re looking to modernize your business. We suggest that you give your customers the cleanest option of all by adding a dish that uses one of the many delicious faux-chicken options available today, such as Gardein or Beyond Meat.

More and more consumers are realizing that the best way to eat cleaner, healthier food is to eat more veggies, and they’re following the example of public figures such as Bill Clinton, Anne Hathaway, Carrie Underwood, and Samuel L. Jackson by cutting meat out of their diet. Nation’s Restaurant News confirms that adding vegetarian and vegan options is a top way to improve business, and its “What’s Hot” survey of chefs showed that the majority of them say that vegan food is a “hot trend” for 2014. Others in the fast-food industry are already adapting their menus to keep up with the times. After a wildly successful testing period, Chipotle recently decided to expand its popular vegan Sofritas tofu option to restaurants nationwide.

You can rest assured that Chick-fil-A customers who are demanding more transparency would be satisfied if you showed them the process of how faux chicken is made. Beyond Meat CEO Ethan Brown issued a challenge to poultry producers by calling on them to open their doors and let people see how living, feeling chickens are turned into chicken nuggets, pointing out that, while no one is upset by watching soy beans are turned into faux-chicken strips at his facilities, consumers would be horrified to see how chickens have their throats cut while they’re still conscious and are often scalded to death in defeathering tanks.

By sticking your neck out and including a vegan chicken product on your menu, you would make it easier than ever for consumers to enjoy a meal without all the saturated animal fat, cholesterol, and cruelty associated with eating flesh. Thank you for your consideration.

Sincerely,

Tracy Reiman
Executive Vice President