VFC has launched a campaign highlighting what it called the hypocrisy of KFC’s ‘Believe in Chicken’ campaign, with a modified billboard creative calling on people to ‘Believe in Chickens’ instead.
The self-described activist meat-free challenger brand said it was calling out the hypocrisy as people could not believe in chicken when the representation of chicken was not something the public could trust.
In the social media campaign, VFC has imitated a KFC billboard creative, swapping imagery of KFC coated fried chicken for the “dismal reality” of how chickens are treated.
The VFC headline addresses chickens in plural, which it said was designed to shift perception from commodity to “living creatures, deserving of life, human care and compassion”.
“KFC believes in chicken, whereas VFC believes in chickens,” said VFC chief mission officer and co-founder Matthew Glover. “There’s a subtle and important difference.”
Glover said the brand wanted to speak up for chickens, which were “the most abused land animal on the planet”.
“At VFC we’re trying to lead the way in advocating for cruelty-free food, whilst reminding the public that chickens are sentient beings that deserve our respect,” he added. “We call on KFC to believe in plant-based alternatives to chicken, and move away from the cruelty inherent in industrial factory farmed chicken production.”
In 2022, VFC went undercover to a KFC UK & Ireland chicken farm with an influencer to expose its practices as part of a campaign.
“Our campaign is here to challenge the perception of chicken as just a food commodity and to show a glimpse of the reality of what these animals are facing,” said Abigail Nelson-Ehoff, VFC head of marketing.
“Chicken is central for us - it’s what we do and it’s in our name,” said Jenny Packwood, chief corporate affairs officer at KFC Pan-Europe & UKI “And as the chicken brand, it is critical that we are trusted by our customers with what is at the heart of our business.”
She added the brand had an “unwavering” commitment to the welfare of “every single chicken in our supply chain” which is why it remains committed to the Better Chicken Committment framework and its own welfare programme.
“While we have no doubt that VFC, like us, are passionate about chicken welfare, it’s important to acknowledge that they are food manufacturers and not an independent third party,” she said. ”Over the years, we’ve instead developed and prioritised close partnerships with experts including Compassion In World Farming, FAI Farms and other organisations, and will continue to work with them to make sure we leave no stone un-turned in our journey towards improvement.”
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