AIBU to think that McDonalds need to up their vegan game

[Hiphopopotamus]

As a vegan the start of veganuary is always really exciting when all the new companies bring out their vegan stuff - this year seems to be particularly great - Greggs have brought the vegan steak bake, kfc have their vegan burger and McDonald’s....well they’ve taken the horrible goujon things they have in their veggie burger, sold them separately and marketed them as a new vegan meal! AIBU to think that they need to seriously up their game?

No. McDonalds is a fast food burger restaurant that offers a couple of beef burger alternatives. If you want more vegan options go to a vegan cafe.

I'm not vegan, but I would have thought that their products come from mass produced farming methods representing the antithesis of ethical vegan ethics, even if the meat products aren't directly consumed. Therefore I'd imagine a true ethical vegan would avoid McDonalds altogether, irrespective of 1 or 2 additional vegan products being introduced.

@letsghostdance @EerieSilence

I've just been having a nose and I've seen estimates ranging from 68% to the aforementioned 98% (which was from a University of Michigan source, not a vegan activism site!). In reality it must be near impossible to put a precise figure on it, but surely we can all agree that based on the current situation, a diet which excludes animal products can't be blamed for the rise in soy monoculture and associated environmental impacts.

The whole vegan push has actually taken the veggie options away and made them vegan. So meat/fish eaters have the same choices but the veggies have the option of what is usually rather uninspired and sometimes downright nasty vegan food

i totally agree with this. In the past I'd often go for the veggie option when eating out if it was something I fancied - I love halloumi and most other cheeses, things like quiche. creamy veggie pasta dishes, risotto, macaroni cheese....

But these have been whisked away to be replaced with tofu, or dishes vegan-ified with fake cheese or fake creamy sauces. I don't like those. I don't want to eat those. At least I have the option of choosing a fish or meat alternative. Real vegetarians don't.

As for the "McDonald's should provide gluten free, low calorie, kosher, halal, dairy free, nut free, vegetarian, vegan, flexitarian, pescetarian.... well if they thought it would make them money, they would.

I am a veggie in a carnivores house. So I do go to McDonald’s and have the veggie burgers.

I cannot tell you how many times I’ve been served meat there and other places. A visit to TGI Friday’s ended up with me being sick in their toilets as I was served tiny bits of bacon in a dish (pork and me don’t get on!).

I agree with the previous poster the veggie offerings have gone from brilliant and really tasty to a bit shit by making them all vegan.

I am a vegetarian, I agree the vegetarian goujons are absolutely disgusting. Its like they don't taste test when it comes to vegetarians, I don't know how someone could pass the goujons off as remotely edible

Oh god yes, turning all vegetarian food into vegan food is one of my biggest bugbears. Give me my cheese back dammit!!

For the people who are so seemingly outraged over the audacity of vegans wanting chain restaurants to cater for them, have none of you looked at a restaurant menu in the past 5 years or so? Most of them have at least one vegan option or option that can be made vegan on it. Offering vegan options isn't that new a concept and practically every day another major chain in the U.K announces new vegan options because demand is increasing so much, and not just from vegans but from people who wish to eat less meat. Also McDonalds already has a vegan option(albeit a poor one) so clearly they see some demand for it.

Other major fast food companies like KFC and Burger King are offering or planning to offer new vegan alternatives. Perhaps there's some reason unique to McDonalds that means that it isn't viable for them, but if so they are relatively unique in that when so many other chains and supermarkets are busy rolling out new vegan options. They are also offering better vegan options in other countries such as Germany, so they have no issue with catering to vegans and do have other ideas so perhaps they'll be available in the U.K in time.

So many meat eaters on here suddenly very concerned about and experts in food miles, environmental impacts of food production, 'factory/chemical food', corporate ethics and balanced nutrition... but only as it relates to what a bunch of vegan strangers are eating. I'll bet they have zero interest in applying this level of scrutiny to their own diets.

And while we're at it, the vegan strangers can enjoy a good lecture on what they're allowed to call themselves and what they're supposed to think.

Is 'meatsplaining' a thing now?

As a longterm veggie (no meat or fish, and definitely no extremist evangelism either!) I, like many others have noticed how the vegan bandwagon is affecting our veggie choices in restaurants.

DH and I refuse to support these vile global branded food outlets (Frankie and Bennys, Wagamama etc) that have turned their menus into inedible lists of crap. Goujons, urgh the name puts me off!

We'd rather get some nice ingredients from the local shops and make our own meals than be ripped off. Vegan food costs less than meat based recipes yet they charge the same price!

@RollingOutOfBed the point of the thread though was that McDs are offering a vegan option, just that it tastes like utter shite 😂.

They also need to up their pizza, pasta, curry, rice and noodle game

Yes @daisychain01 that’s another thing that winds me up! My son can have a massive steak, chips, onions rings, a nice sauce and all the trimmings for the same price as my lukewarm, microwaved, miniscule portion of dried up pasta with indeterminate orange-coloured sauce.

I'd be more interested in places like these sorting their veggie / vegan offer for children. It's only in the last 18 months that McDonalds has had a veggie option in their happy meal. We took DS and his veggie friend to a McDonalds for DS' birthday in summer 18 and I had to have the nuggets from the happy meal and order an adult veggie item for the child to eat instead. The KFC veggie option for kids seems to be chips and beans.

I can understand people saying why would you eat there, but vegans don't exist in isolation and have families who choose to eat in these places and who get party invites. It's helpful if all members of your party have a decent food option. At least McDonalds no longer rely on the salad sandwich / "Big Mac without the burgers" option that used to be their default veggie option for years after Burger King had the bean burger.

RollingOutOfBed the point of the thread though was that McDs are offering a vegan option, just that it tastes like utter shite 😂.

I know what it is. I discussed my experience with the goujons earlier but some people seem outraged that vegans expect to be catered to at all and some seem to think that a McDonalds are taking some brave last stand against veganism when in fact they're already catering to them, just very poorly in comparison to other chains.

The goujons aren't bad because they're vegan. They're just bad. I've eaten many good vegan burgers and enjoyed them in spite of not being a vegan. It's perfectly possible to have good vegan options.

Laughing at all the threatened meat eaters on this thread!

Why would the term goujons put you off? I get the taste but the term?

The whole vegan push has actually taken the veggie options away and made them vegan

Vegan options are still vegan though. If you don't like the dishes on offer, it's not because they're not veggie, it's because you don't like them.

FFS, that should say veggie options are still vegan

Vegan options are still vegetarian
FFS I need more caffeine
In other words there's still vegetarian options on the menu but there's always going to be someone somewhere whining.
I think it's good that there's more choice.
Explosion of vegan foods good for intolerances and allergies for example.
Easier to eat when out.

How about vegans just go a vegan joint?

Not a place that has made their name on BEEF burgers
Really, they should be happy anything vegan is offered at a BEEF BURGER joint, there no obligation to cater for it.

What an original point Squeekums. I'm so glad that someone has made it for the 100th time on this thread. I was starting to fear that we may never see it again.

@rollingoutofbed I prefer when, for example, I can order chicken nuggets rather than chicken goujons, because I have a very childish sense of humour and it sounds like (and has been used as) a euphemism for testicles

@RollingOutOfBed
Disappointed we've not had someone wanting to order a steak at a vegan restaurant again

Doubl We can live in hope that some brave pioneer will come along soon and do just that.

I’m another long term vegetarian (30+ years) who has been affected by the vegetarian option being changed to a vegan option in many places in the last year or so. If I eat out I want something enjoyable, and for me that involves dairy.

I hate the argument that vegan options are still suitable for vegetarians. Vegan options are also suitable for meat eaters...