It’s finger lickin’ fake chicken.
Kentucky Fried Chicken plans to test plant-based chicken nuggets and boneless wings Tuesday at one of its restaurants in Atlanta. Depending on customer feedback, the chain could expand the test to other markets.
KFC is partnering with Beyond Meat to develop the new product.
Beyond Meat also sells plant-based burgers and sausages at grocery stores and some fast food chains like Carl’s Jr. and Del Taco. It sold frozen plant-based chicken strips until earlier this year, but pulled them off the market because it wanted to improve the recipe.
Restaurants are responding to a surge in consumer demand for plant-based meats. U.S. sales of meat substitutes are expected to jump 78% to $2.5 billion between 2018 and 2023, according to Euromonitor.
Kraft Heinz CFO back on the job
Kraft Heinz Co. is bringing back its former chief financial officer amid accounting problems and falling sales.
Paulo Basilio, 44, joined H.J. Heinz as CFO in 2013 and remained in the job after the company’s 2015 merger with Kraft. He most recently served as Kraft Heinz’s chief business development officer.
He replaces David Knopf, 31, who will return to Brazilian private equity firm 3G Capital. 3G and investor Warren Buffet engineered the Kraft Heinz merger in 2015.
CEO Miguel Patricio put Basilio back in the CFO role in order to have a “seasoned veteran” in the post, the company said in a regulatory filing.
The company’s familiar brands like Oscar Meyer and Velveeta are struggling as consumers opt for healthier and more natural foods or cheaper store brands.
Kraft Heinz, which is based in Pittsburgh and Chicago, was also forced to restate earnings from multiple years in May after a federal investigation into its accounting practices.
Gas prices fall to 6-month low
Gas prices in Chattanooga fell to their lowest level since March and should fall even farther this fall, according to a report Monday by the online gas pricing service GasBuddy.com.
Chattanooga gas prices fell 3.2 cents per gallon last week to $2.16 a gallon today – the lowest since March 3, according to GasBuddy’s daily survey of 170 stations. Gas prices in Chattanooga are 18 cents per gallon lower than a month ago and 32.2 cents per gallon lower than a year ago.
“With Labor Day around the corner, motorists will see the cheapest end to the summer since 2016, a great send-off to wrap up the summer driving season, but more good news likely lay ahead for motorists,” said Patrick DeHaan, head of petroleum analysis for GasBuddy. “Gas prices will likely decline even more substantially starting in mid-September as most of the nation begins the transition back to cheaper winter gasoline starting Sept. 16.”
Chattanooga motorists continue to enjoy cheaper fuel than most of the country. The average price of regular gas in Chattanooga today is 43 cents below the U.S. average of $2.59 per gallon. Among the 455 biggest U.S. cities surveyed by GasBuddy.com, Chattanooga had the 29th lowest gas in the country.
Gas is even cheaper in neighboring Cleveland, Tennessee, where six stations are selling regular gas today below $2 a gallon. Cleveland ranks at the 9th cheapest city in America for gas.
McKee brings back Drake’s pound cakes
Seven years after buying the Drake’s line of snacks from the bankrupt Hostess bakery, McKee Foods in bringing back one of Drake’s original and most popular snacks – the Drake’s Mini Pound Cakes.
Similar to how McKee Foods developed its Little Debbie cream-filled snacks from larger cakes made in the past, Drake’s moist, golden-brown cake squares grew out of one of the company’s first products, the pound cake.
“We’re excited about the return of a classic variety to the Drake’s line-up,” said Chip Stenberg, Drake’s associate brand manager. “Drake’s Mini Pound Cakes are great for individual snacking or as the foundation of an easy-to-make dessert, coupled with fresh fruit or the topping of your choice.”
Drake’s Mini Pound Cakes will be available in supermarkets, convenience stores and other retailers throughout the Northeast. In Chattanooga, Drake’s products are sold in a few grocery stores and at McKee’s bakery store in Collegedale.
“As we have gone through the years re-introducing Drake’s products, we have worked diligently to not just put the product by name back on the shelves but to make sure we have the product the way people remember it,” McKee spokesman Mike Gloekler said.
As with all Drake’s products, Mini Pound Cakes are certified kosher by the Orthodox Union.