Biff’s hero product is a chicken-style wing featuring a fake bone.

Waitrose will start selling a vegan chicken wing product featuring a realistic ‘bone’ from 6 April.

The product has been created by vegan street food brand Biff’s and is part of a ‘whole damn range’ dropping at almost 300 Waitrose stores across the UK this month.

Other items in this plant-based range include Jackfruit Burgers, Smoky Chilli Cheeze Waffle Fries, Banging Bhaji Loaded Fries and two plant-based sauces.

Biff’s hero product – the Crispy Fried JackFruit Wingz – is the first vegan chicken wing with a ‘bone’ to be sold in a supermarket.

It is made from jackfruit, mushrooms, and carrots, coated in a crispy breadcrumb mixture with a spear of sugarcane that forms the ‘bone’. The brand said the spear was intended to “deliver a genuine wing-eating experience” without compromising on its plant-based status.

 A pack of four will cost £4.50.

‘Better in both taste, experience and impact’

According to Biff’s, the vegan chicken wing was created to mimic its meat counterpart as closely as possible, in a bid to appeal to meat eaters and vegans alike.

 “We want to make a product that’s not only better for the planet, but can show people that even the elements of meat that seem so intrinsic to animals can be bettered in both taste, experience and impact,” company founder Biff Bloom-Burrows said.

“Billions of chicken wings are eaten every year.

“There is a huge appetite for a vegan alternative that can replicate the real thing and to make even a small dent in that figure would create a big change.”

Mixed response

While BFF’s new product range has been welcomed, it has also divided opinion in the vegan community.

One wrote: “This is huge,” while another added: “It’s a signal to prepare for a barbecue.” [sic].”

However, one less convinced user asked: “Is anyone else a little uncomfortable with ‘bones’?”

Another added: “Shaping that s *** like chicken wings and putting fake bones … is a confusing behavior.”

Responding to the skepticism, the company boss said it’s understandable that people find it “a little weird.”

“As vegans ourselves, we understand that the sugarcane can, at first bite, seem a little weird – especially if bones are something that always made you feel uncomfortable in a meat product,” he said.

“We respect those opinions, but over time we are more and more proud of how we can engage with people, create conversations, and show what natural plant-based ingredients can achieve. It’s an element of cooking that I’m thinking of.”

 Biff’s plant-based journey

Biff’s was launched in 2017 after Christa Bloom-Burrows – a long-time vegan – finally managed to convince her dedicated burger-obsessive partner Biff to make the jump to a fully plant based diet.

Since then, the brand has created Biff’s Delivery, Europe’s largest network of vegan delivery joints, and brought its Burgers and Wingz to the menus of thousands of restaurants across the country.

They also now have a restaurant in Dalston, East London.

• Read: These UK supermarkets are ‘bombarding’ shoppers with cheap meat despite climate

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Mohsina Dodhiya

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