Why You Should Support Vegan Fast Food Even If You Don’t Eat It

Any time someone chooses a plant-based meal over one that contains animal-derived ingredients, like meat, dairy, or eggs, it’s a positive step for animals. That’s why Mercy For Animals often works with food companies and restaurants to encourage them to add vegan options. And when a company does update its menu to include new and exciting vegan items, we see it as a cause for celebration.

While many people share our excitement about new plant-based options, others opt to avoid chain restaurants altogether, preferring to dine only at local all-vegan eateries. While we’re all for supporting local vegan businesses, not everyone has the opportunity to do so. 

Communities with low food access, often referred to as “food deserts,” are areas where residents have few to no convenient options for securing affordable fresh, healthy foods—let alone access to all-vegan restaurants. Often lacking even one grocery store, these communities are saturated with cheap processed food, primarily available at fast-food restaurants and convenience stores. This often results in poor health outcomes and limited opportunities to try plant-based meals.

Food inequality is an important issue that cannot simply be solved by fast-food chains adding vegan meals. However, the addition of these meals gives more people an opportunity to try interesting plant-based options that otherwise wouldn’t be conveniently available. For example, well-known restaurants like Burger King, Carl’s Jr., Hardee’s, Taco Bell, Chipotle, and Baja Fresh have locations all over the country, and they offer relatively affordable and convenient vegan versions of familiar foods, such as burgers, tacos, and burritos. Even chains like KFC and Panda Express have tested plant-based versions of their famous chicken menu items.

Whether someone is on a road trip and needs to grab a quick dinner, lives in a community with low food access, or just enjoys the convenience of fast food, everyone deserves an opportunity to choose a meal that’s kinder to animals. That’s why it’s so important for fast-food chains to add more plant-based menu items. 

Even if you don’t eat fast food, you can make a difference by asking four major restaurant chains to add plant-based menu items. Visit NewYearNewChoices.com to urge King Taco, Dairy Queen, Five Guys, and Quiznos to offer exciting new plant-based menu items for 2023.