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Plant-based foods are on the rise
More and more restaurants are the country are adding vegan and vegetarian options to their menus.
On July 26, Panda Express plans to launch a meatless take on an already popular dish. The plant-based chicken — called Beyond the Original Orange Chicken — will be tossed in Panda Express’ sweet and tangy orange chicken sauce. The sauce is also vegan.
FILE-Beyond the Original Orange Chicken flyer. CREDIT: Panda Express
Panda Express is partnering with Beyond Meat, a producer of plant-based substitutes, to help create this new menu item.
Beyond Meat is also working with other restaurants around the country to unveil its plant-based chicken tenders. They’re crafted to look, cook and taste like traditional animal-based chicken tenders. KFC has tested Beyond Meat’s chicken in certain markets in the past.
The insertion of plant-based items into major chain restaurant menus likely comes as welcome news to people looking to cut down on animal protein consumption — and Panda Express isn’t the first to make a foray into vegan options.
Starbucks added an Impossible Breakfast Sandwich to its menu in June 2020. The sandwich is made from plants and cage-free fried eggs. McDonald’s announced plans in 2020 to begin testing its "McPlant" offering — made with its own proprietary plant-based meat — in 2021.
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Burger King has had an Impossible Whopper on its menu since 2019, though a group of vegans later filed a lawsuit against the fast-food chain alleging that the Impossible Whopper – a plant-based alternative to the chain’s classic beef Whopper – was contaminated by meat byproducts because it was cooked on the same apparatus as beef Whoppers, according to court documents.
Disney World added plant-based cookies to its menu in the midst of the pandemic. Disney even provided instructions on how to make the dessert at home.
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Panda Express’ Beyond The Original Orange Chicken will be available in select locations throughout New York City and Southern California starting July 26, while supplies last.
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This story was reported from Baltimore.