Finnebrogue, owner of the Better Naked brand, has pledged to donate 50% of profits from its renamed plant-based chicken ‘Kyivs’ to humanitarian relief in Ukraine.
The Northern Ireland-based company said it had renamed the Chicken Kiev to Kyiv in line with the Ukrainian spelling of the country’s capital, and to show support for Ukraine following its invasion by Russia last week.
It will be donating 50% of the product’s profits and an additional initial £10,000 to Unicef and the Red Cross. The donations will support Unicef’s increased outreach across the country to families fleeing the conflict and the Red Cross in providing food, water, first aid, clothes and shelter.
“The world is appalled by the disgraceful events being perpetrated by the Putin regime in Ukraine. All our hearts go out to the Ukrainian people as they defend their homeland and stand up for the principles of self-determination and free, liberal democracy,” said Jago Pearson, Finnebrogue chief strategy officer.
“So many of us in the UK feel utterly helpless, but still determined to do what little we can. That’s why we are donating to the humanitarian effort and renaming our Better Naked Chicken Kyiv in recognition of the Ukrainian people’s brave defence of their proud nation,” Pearson added.
Following Russian aggression, many western organisations have shifted away from the Soviet spelling of Kiev to the Ukrainian one. For Ukrainians, the Kiev spelling is intrinsically linked to the USSR and is seen as a relic of the past, with the government launching a ‘KyivNotKiev’ campaign in 2018.
The Better Naked plant-based chicken Kyiv is inspired by the traditional dish named after the city. It is made using pea protein and is on sale in UK supermarkets, including Waitrose, Morrisons and Ocado.
Finnebrogue rebranded its Naked range to Better Naked last December to mark the evolution of the brand’s product lineup, which launched with nitrite-free bacon in 2018 and has since expanded into an array of meat and plant-based foods.
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