In April 2018, VegNews posted an article announcing KFC had launched a vegan chicken bucket. The internet rejoiced, and the article was shared online more than 20,000 times.

The article was a sham.

Take a look at the comment section, and it’s immediately apparent from the dozens of disappointed comments: this article was intended as an April fools joke.

Ask the readers, however, and it seems not a single person found it funny. Ask me, and it seems this was a thoughtless publicity stunt on the part of VegNews. Nothing like a good dose of actual Fake News to make you lose trust in a previously trusted news source.

The good news? Almost one and a half yearslater, Livekindly reports that 2019 is the year KFC will actually trial vegan Beyond Meat fried chicken wings. So after all is said and done, last year’s dissapointed VegNews readers may still get the vegan chicken wing future they were promised.

The plant-based wings will first be trialled in Atlanta, before expanding nation-wide. Kevin Hochman, president and chief concept office at KFC reports that “KFC Beyond Fried Chicken is so delicious, our customers will find it difficult to tell that it’s plant-based.” 

Will you be lining up to try these?