Back to the complete issue
Wednesday, 5 January 2022

KFC introduces plant-based chicken + is lab-grown meat halal / kosher?

Want to eat healthier this year but can’t kick your fried chicken habit? Head over to a KFC joint in the US, where the fast-food chain is introducing plant-based fried chicken from Beyond Meat to its menu, KFC USA President Kevin Hochman told CNBC. The new menu offering is designed to accommodate customers who increasingly want to adopt a “flexitarian diet,” as they turn to plant-based protein to cut down on meat consumption for health and environmental reasons.

And while we’re on the topic of meat by another name, lab-grown meat is raising questions on its religious viability: Lab-grown cultured meat, which is grown in bioreactors from animal cells, has food tech entrepreneurs seeking out religious opinions on whether or not their meat, which is “structurally identical to meat,” is halal or kosher, reports Bloomberg. San Francisco-based startup Eat Just, which makes cultured meat, announced plans to build a factory in Qatar last year and is now hoping to secure religious approval before they build out their facility. In September, Indonesia’s largest Muslim organization issued a fatwa that banned the consumption of lab-grown meat on the grounds that the cells were taken from live animals rather than slaughtered ones — a ruling that was echoed by religious authorities in Pakistan. Jewish authorities, on the other hand, have yet to agree on whether lab-grown meat is kosher, or whether it should even be called meat at all, with one Israel-based food tech company looking to feed cells in its bioreactors with non-animal alternatives in order to ensure its approval by religious authorities.

From the Walkman to EVs: Japan’s Sony Group is planning to launch a company mid-year, Sony Mobility, that will specialize in developing entertainment platforms and sensors for electric vehicles, Chairman and President Kenichiro Yoshida said, according to Reuters. Sony already has one foot in the EV door, creating an arsenal of sensors critical to autonomous driving that it’s testing through its VISION-S 01 coupe in Europe. Yoshida unveiled a prototype SUV, the VISION-S 02, which also utilizes Sony’s EV platform and will allow passengers to use individual entertainment options and 5G internet connection.

Enterprise is a daily publication of Enterprise Ventures LLC, an Egyptian limited liability company (commercial register 83594), and a subsidiary of Inktank Communications. Summaries are intended for guidance only and are provided on an as-is basis; kindly refer to the source article in its original language prior to undertaking any action. Neither Enterprise Ventures nor its staff assume any responsibility or liability for the accuracy of the information contained in this publication, whether in the form of summaries or analysis. © 2022 Enterprise Ventures LLC.

Enterprise is available without charge thanks to the generous support of HSBC Egypt (tax ID: 204-901-715), the leading corporate and retail lender in Egypt; EFG Hermes (tax ID: 200-178-385), the leading financial services corporation in frontier emerging markets; SODIC (tax ID: 212-168-002), a leading Egyptian real estate developer; SomaBay (tax ID: 204-903-300), our Red Sea holiday partner; Infinity (tax ID: 474-939-359), the ultimate way to power cities, industries, and homes directly from nature right here in Egypt; CIRA (tax ID: 200-069-608), the leading providers of K-12 and higher level education in Egypt; Orascom Construction (tax ID: 229-988-806), the leading construction and engineering company building infrastructure in Egypt and abroad; Moharram & Partners (tax ID: 616-112-459), the leading public policy and government affairs partner; Palm Hills Developments (tax ID: 432-737-014), a leading developer of commercial and residential properties; Mashreq (tax ID: 204-898-862), the MENA region’s leading homegrown personal and digital bank; Industrial Development Group (IDG) (tax ID:266-965-253), the leading builder of industrial parks in Egypt; Hassan Allam Properties (tax ID:  553-096-567), one of Egypt’s most prominent and leading builders; and Saleh, Barsoum & Abdel Aziz (tax ID: 220-002-827), the leading audit, tax and accounting firm in Egypt.