This could be important if you avoid beef for religious reasons, but otherwise I can't imagine a carnivore really caring that much.

When you order French Onion Soup in most restaurants it is filled with beef stock.

So people who won't eat beef on Mondays are still losing by going to KFC.

"Small amounts of beef flavors are commonly used in seasonings for many food products, for both restaurant and retail use,"

And yet funny enough I DONT use beef flavoring when I use real spices, and real herbs when making my chicken. And guess what KFC

My grilled chicken kicks the shit out of yours in taste.

@b612markt: Yes, but I think that's the traditional recipe. I don't recall ever reading a grilled chicken recipe that called for, say, beef suet.

@Jim Topoleski: I was just thinking that, I dont think I even have beef stock (bullion) in my cabinet. and I wouldnt ever think of putting it in a chicken spice rub... wth

Hindu people are going to be pissed. What next, do we find out they're frying chicken in bacon grease and lard, so as to anger the members of two more major world religions? One really needs to disclose these things in advance.

There are some very nice recipes that involve mixing different sorts of meat, but if I order a piece of plain chicken, I expect it to be made with chicken and... chicken.

Also, I would never characterize anything from KFC as "healthy," even if it's grilled, but there's "unhealthy" and then there's "hey, let's add a lump of suet."

@Jim Topoleski: You're definitely the most objective person to give opinions on your own chicken.

@CumaeanSibyl: Well, it's common sense, too. Who expects chicken to have beef in it? I would be kind of perturbed if my chicken had beef on it, and I don't really get why it would. I don't put beef on my grilled chicken, why should KFC?

At least KFC isn't involved in a large scale meth dealing network.

Oh, Steve. Your ad campaign is the equivalent of informing McDonalds connoisseurs that McNuggets aren't made from free range, organic chicken.

@pecan 3.14159265:

No one is going to stop eating beef on mondays

@Megladon: No one is going to stop eating beef on mondays

I am! I've implemented "Venison Monday" at my house.

@CumaeanSibyl:

Aren't Hindu's Vegen? Why would they care if chicken has beef in it? There not supposed to eat meat at all? I know they consider Cow sacred

And don't get me started on chicken fried steak.

@ngwoo: I'd be willing to verify it, if I can get free samples of said shit-kicking chicken.

@ngwoo: I don't put any beef flavorings into my grilled chicken, and it sucks.

Where can I get me some of those? Maybe it'll help me out.

It's also not like there wasn't a clear example as to why this was a problem already existing in the industry with the enormous outpouring of grief that was hurled at McDonald's for including beef suet in their French Fry oil.

For KFC to claim it was adequately disclosed by burying it on a PDF on their website MIGHT satisfy some jury is someone with a beef allergy goes into anaphylactic shock, but it is not going to satisfy community outrage by people who don't eat red meat (or only eat halal/kosher red meat) when they find out KFC was pulling this stunt. If it's such a small component of the recipe, then why can't a non-meat alternative be found? Can't they use chicken flavoring and chicken fat? Or Soy?

@hypochondriac: Nah, just beef. Most indian restaurants have chicken, lamb, and even goat dishes. Haven't seen much pork at the ones I've been to, tho.

If the beef flavors are so important to the seasoning, why does it only make up 0.2% of the mix? At that amount, if you took it out altogether, I highly doubt a single person could tell the difference.

@CumaeanSibyl: Chicken fried in bacon grease? Yes, please.

@CumaeanSibyl: Yeah, I agree with you. My whole family avoids beef for religious reasons and I'm sure when they hear this they'll fee nauseous (they tried that chicken).

Aside from the person who for one reason or another is choosing not to eat beef, I don't think it's "wrong." "Weird," perhaps.

Other commenters have said things like "I don't season my chicken at home with beef."

Maybe your homemade chicken would be THAT much better with a nice li'l rub of MSG and beef fat. You won't know until you try :-)

Does this make beef stock the new MSG?

Who cares? If people like the taste then they like the taste. Maybe if you "can't" eat beef due to your religion then you might have a moment of existential crisis, but I feel that if your religious beliefs stipulate what you can and can't eat then you should make your own food. After all, if it's that important to you, then you shouldn't leave it to chance (if this was raw chicken being sold, then I would agree that no beef should be present in whatever form).

@YouInTheBack:
I guess it wouldn't be a big deal... exscept for someone like me who is actually allergic to beef and having that on there would make me ill...

Wasn't there a big controversy over McDonald's cooking their fries in beef stock or something years ago?

@Blue387:

yep

@b612markt: There are people who are opposed to killing cows but eat chicken and fish. My aunt is one who avoids beef at all costs. I'm sure she'll have something to say when I tell her about this, too (she just tried it last night).

@Canino: i'll give up my Beefy Mondays, but you'll have to pry my Veal Weekends from my cold, dead fingers!

@pecan 3.14159265:

Ok pecan, so you got me to laugh this morning i will admit it.

@Canino: Haha, maybe I'll do buffalo mondays, then. I won't eat cow, just bison!

@Applekid: As long as its transfat free (no hydrogenated oil) I say porkfat rules. Bring on the baconated chicken.

It's KFC! What do you expect?

@Simon Lin:

pretty much what I was thinking

@Moosehawk: Woot! Nice Breaking Bad reference. lol

I can see the issue for Hindus (they freaked when they found out McDonald's fries had beef extract- yes, fried potatoes with beef juice) and it certainly doesn't pass the WTF test. It also means that if there's a beef-borne illness and people switch to chicken, they are still at risk.

As a meat-eater, beefy chicken (beecken? chickeef?) is close to the perfect animal. If there's a way to splice in bacon DNA....

@Blue387: Yes, beef tallow. [en.wikipedia.org] I don't think they were the only company doing it but I don't have references for that.

@hypochondriac: Many Hindu people are vegetarian or vegan, but it's not a requirement. Beef is out of bounds, but dairy products are quite common in Indian foods.

@Canino: I've implemented "Squirrel Mondays" where we only eat what I can hit with my van on the way home from work!

I may start working in the occasional raccooon...

@Applekid: Well, yeah, or lard -- that's some good eatin'. If I'm eating somebody's old auntie's fried chicken, I pretty much assume there'll be some sort of pig fat involved. At a restaurant, though? Not so common.

@Nogard13: I have a friend who has anaphylactic-shock severity allergies to beef. I have another who's been boycotting the beef industry for 10+ years. They would be really upset to hear this.

@Chuck Thorne: I think pepperoni is the perfect animal - contains beef, pork, and chicken.

@b612markt: I don't eat beef for personal reasons.

I had no idea, KFC. I'm glad I never tried your grilled chicken.
I'm going to email popeye's to see if there's any beef in their chicken. This is definitely not something I thought I had to worry about.

@pecan 3.14159265: "So people who won't eat beef on Mondays are still losing by going to KFC."

Oh they're losing regardless of whether or not they go to KFC.

Now, if they would just get rid of the wheat in their seasonings, I'd be all set...

@hypochondriac:
@CumaeanSibyl:

Hinduism isn't what you would call an organized religion. There aren't exactly strict rules. Some hindus are vegetarian (very few are vegan, because milk, butter, honey and yogurt are used in certain prayer ceremonies), but some eat meat.

Some only eat fish (common in Kerala, where "vegetarian" food often includes fish), some will eat fish and shellfish but not chicken, some will eat any meat except beef, some will eat all meat. It really depends on family practice and personal choice.

(My grandparents don't eat eggs or wear leather, but my dad will eat any meat, including beef. My mother eats fish and shellfish but nothing else. I don't eat beef or any bovine. We are all hindus.)

As for KFC, I find this extremely distressing. I never tried their grilled chicken but if I had I would be pissed off that they never disclosed that their chicken contains beef.

@CumaeanSibyl:

It depends on your caste. Brahmans cannot eat any animal products. Additionally, they cannot eat potatoes or other roots.

@pecan 3.14159265:

I find favor with force-fed foie gras Fridays with family!

@YouInTheBack: Didn't McDonald's have a similar problem a few years back when they were making their fries with beef? I believe they rejiggered the formula to make it vegetarian and nobody really noticed.