KFC Working With Russian Company To 3D Print Chicken Nuggets

KFC has a “restaurant of the future” concept and they want to add the world’s first 3D printed chicken nuggets to their achievements. The chicken restaurant chain will work with Russian company 3D Bioprinting Solutions to develop bioprinting technology that will “print” chicken meat, using chicken cells and plant material.

KFC is hoping to create that great signature taste while maintaining the same texture as real chicken. But let’s be clear, the bioprinting process KFC describes uses animal material, so any nuggets it produced wouldn’t be vegetarian.

Bioprinted nuggets would be more environmentally friendly to produce than standard chicken meat, KFC says, citing (but not linking to) a study by the American Environmental Science and Technology Journal it says shows the benefits of growing meat from cells, including reductions in greenhouse gas emissions and energy consumption compared to traditional farming methods.

KFC says its lab created nuggets will be available for final testing in Moscow later this year. No word on when or if the printed nuggets might be available for KFC customers to sample.