KFC ditches healthier foods because ‘nobody buys them’
Written by News on 13/09/2019
KFC has abandoned its drive to introduce healthier baked chicken products on its menu because nobody wanted to eat them.
A senior executive at the fast food chain revealed the move was a “disaster” and short-lived during a Public Health England conference.
It followed disappointing sales of the Brazer grilled chicken sandwich launched in 2011, its 2012 Rancher sandwich and a pulled chicken product which came out in 2015.
“It didn’t go brilliantly well. We tried and we failed to launch a non-fried product,” said Jenny Packwood, head of brand engagement at KFC UK and Ireland.
“We were unable to sustain sales. They were just not selling.
“It’s no good launching a product which looks good nutritionally but then nobody buys.
“It doesn’t improve the health of the nation and in terms of sustainability it is a disaster.”
She also reportedly said the firm got “a lot of grief” about its healthier, thick-cut chips.
However, its healthy rice box range, containing a single piece of fried chicken and salad, had been more successful.
“It’s giving people a little bit of what they love but wrapping it in something healthier,” she said.
In June, KFC trialled a vegan burger consisting of a Quorn fillet called The Imposter “that the Colonel would be proud of” at restaurants in London, Bristol, Birmingham and the Black Country.
And in July a new vegetarian creation was introduced called the Southern Fritter Stacker.
Neither of the products appear on the menu on the company’s UK website.
However, there is a Veggie Ricebox, described as “light, filling and delicious”.
(c) Sky News 2019: KFC ditches healthier foods because ‘nobody buys them’