7-Eleven Adds Vegan Chicken Tenders to Hot Menu at All 600 Stores in Canada

Convenience store chain 7-Eleven now serves vegan chicken fillets at its more than 600 locations across Canada. The offerings are made by the vegan brand Lightlife and are available hot from the oven 24 hours a day. The new vegan chicken is part of the 7-Eleven Healthy To Go menu, which is designed to give plant-curious Canadians more options.

“We would not have been able to introduce plant-based products without our partnership with Lightlife,” Norman Hower, vice president and general manager of 7-Eleven Canada, said in a statement. “The tastes of Canadians are changing and we are here in the neighborhood to give them what they want. We are proud to partner with the Lightlife team on this first product on the market that tastes great and meets all the requirements of plant-based eating. ”

In addition to Lightlife’s vegan chicken (which is priced at CAD $ 6.50 for three tenderloins), 7-Eleven is adding new take-out and bake pizzas topped with vegan pepperoni made by Field Roast, which, like Lightlife, is owned by parent company Greenleaf. Food. These new items can be found in 7-Eleven stores across Canada or ordered through the convenience store’s 7NOW app and other delivery platforms such as SkipTheDishes, Uber Eats, and DoorDash.

Lightlife’s Vegan Chicken at 7-Eleven and Beyond

In October 2021, Lightlife featured its realistic plant-based Chick’n Tenders, made with chickpea and pea protein, at the 500 Whole Foods Markets hot bar in Canada, where it was featured in a variety of chef-prepared recipes.

“We are delighted to expand the availability of our Lightlife Chick’n by partnering with 7-Eleven Canada to bring our plant-based protein products on their menu,” said Dan Curtin, president of Greenleaf Foods, in a statement. “We continue to see strong momentum with our products in the foodservice sector throughout North America as more consumers try plant-based foods. This latest partnership with 7-Eleven Canada invites plant fans and curious plant consumers to try our latest delicious innovation. “

The brand’s 7-Eleven partnership follows several major launches, including an expanded partnership with KFC Canada. In August 2020, KFC added a vegan chicken sandwich made in association with Lightlife to their locations across Canada after a one-day trial turned out to be a huge success. In addition to the vegan chicken sandwich, KFC Canada also recently added Lightlife’s vegan popcorn chicken to their menu nationwide.

Lightlife’s vegan chicken is also available as part of a vegan sandwich or as nuggets at 400 Pizza Pizza locations across Canada. Earlier this month, Lightlife offerings also launched on Mary Brown’s traditional chicken chain as their first choice for vegan chicken.

Vegan chicken takes center stage

While Lightlife’s vegan chicken is spread throughout Canada, Beyond Meat’s plant-based chicken is gaining ground in the US foodservice sector. The brand worked with Panda Express to create a vegan version of its Original Orange Chicken, dubbed Beyond the Original Orange Chicken (BTOOC). Panda Express first tested vegan orange chicken at select locations in July 2021, and after selling 1,300 pounds of BTOOC in one day, the chain expanded the trial to an additional 70 locations in 10 states in October.

Outside of Canada, KFC has introduced vegan chicken options in several regions in recent years, including the UK, Thailand, and China. In the US, KFC has been working in partnership with Beyond Meat for two years to perfect vegan fried chicken and today, the highly anticipated Beyond Fried Chicken launches at all 4,000 KFC locations across the country. The new vegan chicken is served a la carte in six- or 12-piece sizes, or as part of the first plant-based combo meal offered at KFC in the US, which comes with fries and a medium drink.

Burger King is also moving in the direction of vegan chicken in all regions. In the US, the chain sought out its existing partner Impossible Foods to add its plant-based chicken to trial locations last year. In the UK, Burger King just became the first fast food chain in the country to offer plant-based chicken nuggets, which it made with its partner The Vegetarian Butcher.

To learn more about vegan chicken, read:

Impossible Foods Just Released Vegan Chicken Nuggets

TThe ultimate guide to the best vegan chicken brands
Why the World’s Largest Beef Company is Launching Vegan Chicken

Anna Starostinetskaya is a Senior News Editor at VegNews and is always on the lookout for all things vegan in her hometown of San Francisco, CA and elsewhere.