Hopping aboard the plant-based meat craze, Taco Bell, a subsidiary of Yum! Brands (NYSE: YUM), is launching a new product to test customer demand for meat alternatives. CNBC reports the Cravertarian Taco -- now on sale in Tustin, California -- features Taco Bell's own plant-protein meat substitute, made from a mix of pea and chickpea protein. Taco Bell was previously reluctant to offer plant-based meat dishes because it already had vegetarian items. A year ago, in March 2020, the company programmed its digital ordering kiosks so customers could choose to see only vegetarian offerings -- a list of approximately 50 items -- by entering the so-called "Veggie Mode." The company said "customers can further customize their orders while in Veggie Mode, with a total of over 20 million possible vegetarian menu combinations," Food & Wine reported. Image source: Taco Bell, Yum! Brands. Now, the Cravertarian Taco is described as using a "proprietary, all-new boldly seasoned plant-based protein." The company says the faux meat can be swapped into most of its other menu items, "from chalupas to burritos," to create a customized vegetarian or even vegan option for hungry plant-eaters, Yahoo! reports. The basic Cravertarian Taco itself isn't vegan, since it features Cheddar cheese and reduced-fat sour cream. Back in January, Taco Bell and plant-based meat manufacturer Beyond Meat partnered on a future plant-protein test. Taco Bell, working at keeping up with trends through measures like launching its first U.S. digital-only location, teased that partnership today without providing specifics, saying that sometime in "the next year, the brand is excited to team up with Beyond Meat to create a new innovative plant-based protein," as a separate offering from the Cravertarian Taco. 10 stocks we like better than Yum! BrandsWhen investing geniuses David and Tom Gardner have a stock tip, it can pay to listen. After all, the newsletter they have run for over a decade, Motley Fool Stock Advisor, has tripled the market.* David and Tom just revealed what they believe are the ten best stocks for investors to buy right now... and Yum! Brands wasn't one of them! That's right -- they think these 10 stocks are even better buys. See the 10 stocks *Stock Advisor returns as of February 24, 2021 Rhian Hunt has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool owns shares of and recommends Beyond Meat, Inc. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.Source