McDonald’s Vegan Options

[SunnySideDeepDown]

McDonalds are axing the only vegan happy meal option, now only McPlant burger will be available. Due to poor sales.

AIBU to think it’s a no brainer that kids don’t want curry vegetable sticks?! My kids HATE them. Did they really think kids would eat them?

There are loads of good vegan options available now, including fantastic veggie nugget options. But instead of trying those, vegetarian and vegan children (or those who need halal or kosher meat etc), now need to order off the main menu and not have a happy meal.

Why, in a world full of vegan options, has McDonalds got this all wrong?

Yes, that's why I'm slightly gutted to hear that the veggie dippers have been axed. No main meal options for us now.

Surely no one who makes their food decisions based on ethics would ever set foot in a McDonald's though? I'm really not surprised that they don't sell much vegan food, doesn't matter what specific item.

I think that McDonald’s have been really slow with vegetarian and vegan options. It’s been on my mind for ages that they fail completely to provide a vegetarian/vegan chicken option, which is such an easy thing to do. Particularly nuggets, for kids! It’s wild that they don’t do it. Some of their veggie wrap stuff is so old school.

Try joining the coeliacs chips , fruit bag an a drink is all they can have in Macdonalds in this country despite most of europe having a gulten free version. Last time my daughter went in they sugested the vegan/ veggie option. She replied she was allergic to wheat not meat! Sounds like even that will be limited now!

😂😂 fairly sure a potato cooked oil is food.

As is a salad and chicken...

My DD is gluten intolerant and has the burger patties and we just bring a bread roll for her.

Vegans eating at McDonald's are a bit of a rarity. If you are ethically vegan, then your political views mean you are unlikely to pick McDonald's as your restaurant of choice, especially for your kids. It shouldn't really be a huge a surprise there's poor sales. Not to mention that the number of young kids being vegan is small to begin with. Older teens who want a bigger meal are more likely to be vegan but not under 10s.

It strikes me as having been a big of an odd market to have catered for in the first place.

McDonald’s should cater to veggies and not worry about vegans. Vegans are probably more motivated by political reasons, rather than dietary preferences, so will avoid McDonald’s entirely

It’s a shame but not surprising

my ds loves his mcplant

when we went to McDonald’s in France they literally had nothing available for him

I think YABU expecting McDonalds to cater for vegan kids. That has to be a niche demographic if ever there was one. There clearly isn't a market for it at McDonalds (a chain built on beef burgers) or they'd do it.

im more judgmental of people taking kids to eat cheap fried greasy food

It’s definitely not cheap…

More to the point, nothing wrong with a McDonald’s treat. It’s honesty not that bad for you, no worse than any other pre-made supermarket food. Salt is likely the worst part. And lack of veg, but you can make up for that throughout the day.

your kids never have chips ever?

I personally avoid choosing anywhere that offers a token gesture i.e. one suitable menu item, rather than a choice.

We have veggies and vegans in our family and never choose those places because of that.

I was vegan 10+ years ago and often the only option was chips. So if I'm making do because a work do is at one of those places, I'm going to be making do with the absolute cheapest option on the menu because I'm not wilfully choosing a higher priced token lasagna at 4x the cost that I don't want any more than the chips.

I think people expect that but it isn't quite true. I shop in tescos and visit Costa and neither are 100% or even partially trying to promote vegan or ethical living.

To me, it comes down to what the bulk of the business is and the wider welfare of that business. So no, i wouldnt go to McDs voluntarily but mainly because i generally avoid UPF and takeaways rather than because they sell meat (tbf to them, they aspire to the higher welfare standards in the uk in terms of RSPCA certified, free range etc.

But im not their target market, and that's OK.

But going back to my other post on this, I don't go to places that have a token option, because one option isnt a choice.

I agree and they obviously have enough people who do want to eat what they have to offer!

I love a McDonald's every now and again, and didn't even know there was a vegan Happy Meal?!
Love the vegetable fingers or whatever they're called and the Mcplant burger.
You'd think there'd be an option of a burger with the happy meal too so if there isn't there should be.

They’re doing you a favour. It’s shite food.

I am vegan and I know a lot of vegans. There is a split in the attitude towards this. Some would never eat at McDonald’s but others believe if they eat there, it will encourage them to sell more vegan products. Those people eat the McPlant which is apparently selling well. One of my children (and a lot of her friends) is vegetarian, although a teenager, and they have always chosen the McPlant over any vegetarian options they’ve sold. I’m not surprised that they’ve stopped the vegan happy meal option as even a lot of vegans don’t bring their children up vegan.

I did read that McDonald’s are looking at other vegan and vegetarian options to add to their menu.

One can only hope that the swing against UPFS will kill off the McPlant. I am totally sick of having to make to with a token vegan option. I don't eat fake meat nor do I want to.

What is wrong with a good old bean burger. I used to really enjoy the Burger King one occasionally.

I used to get many years ago a veggie wrap from KFC, don't know why McDonald's don't make similar ones, just like the veggie fingers/burgers in supermarkets.
Literally just peas,sweetcorn and carrots in a breaded coating, very tasty and presuming not massively upf as you can see the veg.

Oh no! This is the only thing my daughter will eat from there, and it's her regular treat after a monthly medical appointment. I didn't realise they were getting rid of it.

Be grateful there actually is something!!! For those of us who have no choice over it there is only chips at McDonald’s that are gluten free!! You can eat what you want if you need to but when there’s nothing else anywhere around it’s only chips coeliac can eat - even the salad isn’t safe anymore!

young kid shouldn’t be eating vegan only food anyway - they need to make their own choices when they are adults not be forced to be denied nutrients when they are little

I am vegetarian and I meet my friend for lunch there every week (I'm not a fan but she loves it).

I usually get the veggie happy meal. The fingers are what they use for the vegetable burger (which they also seem to be phasing out).

So it's a pain for me as I don't always want something as big (or expensive) as a McPlant.

However, I think they should do what BK does: use the patty as a replacement for the meat in any of the sandwiches they offer. So you could have a veggie Big Mac or Fillet o Fish.

That’s a shame OP. We used to go to McDonalds quite frequently as a Friday treat when my DS was young and get the happy meal for a treat with the little toys (assuming they still do these?). I absolutely don’t think it’s right that there is no longer a veggie option for children. I wonder, if you are veggie rather than vegan, could you ask for the cheese burger minus the burger (so effectively a little cheese roll)?