Fast-food giant McDonald's to launch vegan burger in Israel, here's what it's all about

With an aim to expand its customer base, McDonald’s is set to 'go green', with the launch of its vegan burger in Israel's Tel Aviv in the next six weeks. The vegan burger, which will feature a patty made out of wheat and soybean, is developed by Nestle.

The burger by the fast food giant is similar to 'The Big Vegan' launched by it in Germany earlier this year. Sources say that the burger will be first made available in Tel Aviv, but it is unclear whether these new vegan burgers will be available at all 180 locations across Israel or whether they will be Kosher certified, also, there is no clarity about the pricing of the burger as of yet.

Kosher foods are those that conform to the Jewish dietary regulations. Burger King, one of McDonald's largest competitors, is also marketing vegan burgers made by Impossible Food Inc. (a company that develops plant-based substitutes for meat and dairy products.)

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This is not the first time that the global fast-food giant is venturing into vegan options on their menus. Apart from ‘The Big Vegan’ launched in Germany earlier this year, McDonald’s has vegan options in other countries as well. They have expanded their vegan offerings, with a number of vegan items on the menu in various locations across Europe, this includes a take on their chicken nuggets in Sweden where the nuggets are made of falafel, these were rolled out in 2017 and became an instant hit. It also offers the McVegan Burger in Sweden and is soon to launch the El Veggo, a burger still in its testing stages in Finland. McDonald’s also launched a vegan Happy Meal in the UK earlier this year. In addition, they also offer a wrap but it is said to have a risk of cross-contamination due to the cooking processes.

According to a spokesperson from McDonald’s, the introduction of the vegan burger is an attempt to diversify the menus while staying true to the ‘typical McDonald’s taste.' 

Diversification of the menus can be a calculated move to tackle the backlash they got after acquisitions of ignoring their animal welfare responsibilities by a non-profit organisation, The Humane League. The Humane League made a video aiming to put McDonald’s under pressure to sign the Better Chicken Commitment - that sets out clear requirements for animals being raised for meat such as banning the use of cages and multi-tier systems.

McDonald’s took to Twitter to assure customers (via a video) that the company aims at sourcing 100% cage-free eggs by 2025. 

The announcement of a vegan burger has already created a buzz but only time will tell if customers accept the burger and if they are ‘Lovin It’

(With inputs from ANI)

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