KFC Canada Plans to Test a Bamboo Fiber Bucket for Poutine

(Photo: A KFC in Quebec. Credit: MPD01605, Flickr Creative Commons)

by | Nov 7, 2019

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KFC Canada Plans to Test a Bamboo Fiber Bucket for Poutine

(Photo: A KFC in Quebec. Credit: MPD01605, Flickr Creative Commons)

KFC Canada plans to begin testing a new bucket made from bamboo fiber for the chicken restaurant chain’s poutine starting early next year. Currently the classic dish of fries, cheese curds, and gravy is served in a plastic container.

The Yum Brands subsidiary says that this pilot is part of their broader sustainable packaging goal set in January to have all plastic-based, consumer-facing packaging be recoverable or reusable by 2025. KFC Canada announced plans in July to remove all plastic straws and bags from their restaurants before the end of 2019.

Tests of the bamboo fiber poutine bucket are set to start in early 2020 at select restaurants across the country, the chain said.

“Bamboo is one of the fastest growing plants in the world, growing on average 24 inches per day and reaching its adult size in three to five years, compared to 20 to 30 years for trees,” according to KFC Canada. “Bamboo is naturally anti-bacterial and 100% biodegradable, requires no pesticides, and regenerates itself very quickly when harvested.”

If the tests work out, bamboo fiber containers would replace polypropylene poutine packages, Aleksandra Sagan reported in the Canadian Press. A spokesperson for the chain told Sagan that KFC Canada also aims to make the buckets compostable, but will ensure that they are at least recyclable or reusable.

“Since different Canadian jurisdictions have different recycling and composting rules, it can be difficult for companies to make sure their products are recyclable or compostable across the country,” Sagan wrote. Whether the bamboo bucket meets those requirements is something the company spokesperson said they will need to investigate as they “move forward with viable prototypes.”

Chunping Dai, an associate professor at the University of British Columbia’s department of wood science, told the Canadian Press that the cost of bamboo compared to plastic could be a strike against the material. Demand could make a difference, though. Dai said that as more companies use bamboo, it can be mass-produced, making the cost comparable to plastic, Sagan reported.

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