'Hands up, this isn't great': KFC admits accidentally serving chicken burgers to vegans

'It was the first time I had been to KFC and it will be the last,' says one vegan

A number of vegans have been left “sick” and “heartbroken” after being mistakenly served chicken burgers at KFC despite having ordered one of the chain's new vegan offering.

KFC launched its new vegan Quorn chicken burger on 2 January, but a number of people have since complained about being given the wrong item.

In Bath, 25-year-old vegan Beth Hughes told Somerset Live she was served a chicken burger but only realised it after she took a bite.

Ms Hughes, who has been vegan for a year and a vegetarian for five years, said she was given a green and white box with the words “Fingerlickin’ Vegan” on it , so assumed she had been given the right burger.

But she said she immediately realised the error after taking a bite of the burger, which she said left her "appalled".

She added: "I am vegan for strong ethical reasons as I abhor the thought of animals dying for food and for environmental reasons.

"It was the first time I had been to KFC and it will be the last."

Elsewhere, in Liverpool, a vegetarian couple were also reportedly served the wrong burger, and ate most of their meal before realising it was not meat-free.

The couple told the Liverpool Echo they ordered “two vegan meals” but the burgers came in a normal KFC chicken burger box.

It was only after the man had finished his burger that they questioned if the meals had been meat-free, and realised they had eaten chicken.

The woman said she threw the rest of her burger away and was physically sick after.

A KFC spokesperson said at the time: “Hands up – this isn’t great. We’re really sorry for what happened to Bethan, so offered her a full refund straight away and a replacement Vegan Burger on the House.

“It’s day one and we’ll keep doing everything we can to prevent it happening again.”

Several others complained on social media about being given the wrong burger.

Nic Kent, 27, told Nottinghamshire Live she ordered a vegan burger and her sister ordered a chicken fillet burger with cheese on Sunday.

It was only after they went home and Ms Kent took a bite out of her burger that she realised it was not vegan.

Ms Kent said: “I felt sick. I was heartbroken. It has been a long time since I first became a vegan. I went to brush my teeth after.

“I’ve been vegan for five years so I know damn well that was not any plant-based stuff. I could feel all the skin going down my throat.”

Ms Kent added she was lactose intolerant, and after ingesting some cheese from the bite she took, she was unwell.

Both Ms Kent and the couple in Liverpool were refunded and given replacement Vegan Burgers.

A KFC spokesperson told the Independent: “We’re really pleased so many fans have come in to try the vegan burger this week, that said, we know there’s been a handful of instances where we’ve made mistakes… it’s not great and we’re really sorry that’s happened.

"We’re only human and it’s no mean feat introducing new processes and equipment into over 900 restaurants. Our team members are still getting used to it all, but that’s no excuse so we’re keeping a close eye on it and doing everything we can to prevent it from happening again."

The fast food franchise added that over 4,000 team members were re-trained over the weekend and made aware of the importance of ensuring "the right order goes to the right person".