As an increasing number of fast-food chains internationally introduce vegan burgers and other animal-free options, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) India has urged McDonald’s, Burger King and KFC restaurants in India to offer vegan or meat-, egg-, and dairy-free burgers to meet the growing demand for vegan food in the country.
PETA India recently wrote to all three companies requesting a vegan options for the health, environment and animal-conscious and has met with KFC to make the appeal in person, while thousands of individuals have sent messages to McDonald’s India through the group’s website asking the company to offer a McVegan burger. Many have sent appeals to McDonald’s India via Twitter, too.
While these chains offer vegetarian options, none of them label any of their vegetarian main menu dishes as suitable for vegans. Meanwhile, the McVegan has already been introduced with great success in Finland and Sweden, while KFC is considering offering vegan chicken in the U.K. Fast-food chain White Castle sells a high-quality veggie burger that ‘bleeds’ like meat in the U.S. Pizza Hut offers vegan cheese pizza in the U.K, and Domino’s sells it in Australia.
“More and more people in India are going vegan, and it's high time that fast-food chains here responded to the booming demand by adding vegan options to their menus as they already have in the West. Consumers are more health-conscious and concerned about the impact of the meat, egg, and dairy industries on animals and the environment, but they’d still like to pick up quick, reasonably priced and tasty treats from known fast-food brands — as long as they are vegan,” PETA India CEO Dr. Manilal Valliyate said.
Quoting a recent article on a website run by Franchise India Holdings Limited, an integrated franchise-solution company, PETA said the number of vegans in India has risen by 360% in the past decade.
