NEW YORK - Yum Brands Inc's KFC restaurants will start selling plant-based fried "chicken" from Beyond Meat Inc across the United States on Jan. 10 for a limited time, KFC said on Tuesday. KFC, Yum's biggest brand, had nearly 4,000 restaurants in the United States at the end of 2020, according to a regulatory filing.

The popular fried chicken chain is counting on customers making healthier choices to fulfill typical New Year’s resolutions. “This is really about where the customer is going; they want to eat more plant-based proteins,” said Kevin Hochman, U.S. president of KFC. “It’s January, so it’s a time of New Year’s resolutions and wanting to do something different in your diet.”

More Americans are embracing a so-called flexitarian diet in which consumers cut down on their meat consumption for health and environmental reasons. That has driven the growing popularity of plant-based substitutes.

KFC started testing Beyond's plant-based chicken in August 2019 in Atlanta and expanded to more areas the following year.

In February 2021, Yum and Beyond announced a global partnership to create plant-based menu items for Yum's KFC, Taco Bell and Pizza Hut over "the next several years."

Major fast-food chains have been vying for partnerships with faux meat makers as they add vegan and vegetarian menu options. Beyond rival Impossible Foods Inc is working with Burger King, a unit of Restaurant Brands International Inc

Prices for the Beyond Fried Chicken at KFC will start at $6.99 in most places but will vary by location.
-Sources CNBC,Reuters