As a vegetarian, I recently had a nice but misinformed experience with the Chiko Roll. I saw an opportunity to make a real change in my little world. Here is a letter I recently sent to Chiko Food Service.
Dear Chiko Roll Incorporated,
My name is Alex, and I am not originally from Australia. One of my colleagues recently gave me the chance to try your delicious Chiko Rolls, and I found it quite filling, flavory and savoury. Many jokes were made about it being an Australian delicacy, "the chicken roll with no chicken", and we all had a nice laugh. I posted the cultural experience on my Instagram, only to later be flooded with messages from fellow vegetarians telling me that, in fact, the chiko roll is not actually vegetarian. I read up on it, and, alas, they are correct. There is no chicken, but, as I'm sure you are aware, your product does contain 4 per cent beef. How bizarre.
My colleagues were remorseful, and I was quite sad that, as a vegetarian, this was my once-in-a-lifetime Chiko roll experience.
This is where my letter to you comes in. The year is 2022, and food prices across the world have never been higher. Not only that but more Australians than ever are choosing to eat less meat. I suggest you bring the Chiko Roll into the 21st century and eliminate the 4 per cent beef in the one-handed snack. By doing this, you will reduce your production costs, and vegetarians across the glorious nation will rejoice at their opportunity to enjoy a scrumptious $3 meal in a country full of expensive eggplant schnitzels and mediocre pumpkin pizzas.
I predict your previous customers won't notice nor care, and your new client base will send sales skyrocketing.
Thank you for your time, and I look forward to hearing from you.
Sincerely,
Alex Morris (Vegetarian)
I shared the post to my Facebook on Sunday afternoon, jokingly writing I would start a petition on Change.org. I was met with mostly praise. Almost all the comments conceded there was no place for meat in the Chiko Roll, and no one would notice the difference. My partner is one of the few skeptics, insisting that people like the roll the way it is and don't like change. What does he know?!
I sent the letters off to all the bases on Tuesday, messaging Chiko Roll via email, Facebook and Instagram. I was excited to receive a Facebook response from Tess in under 20 minutes. She said:
Hi Alexandra,
Thank you for contacting Chiko. We acknowledge your comments and have provided them to our production team for their information. Thank you for taking the time to contact us. Your feedback is appreciated.
Kind Regards,
Tess
Many people have contacted me saying they were unaware the roll was not vegetarian. It makes me wonder how many other snacks I'm casually scarfing, which might include animal parts.
