McDonald's to launch ‘fully vegan’ meal

The Veggie Dippers meal will feature a portion of vegan nuggets made of rice, red peppers, tomato pesto and split peas.

The nuggets will be fried in breadcrumbs in separate fryers to those used to prepare meat-based items, and served with McDonald's fries and a soft drink.

A Veggie Dippers Happy Meal, served with a choice of sides including a vegetable or fruit bag, will also be available.

“In the last 12 months we’ve seen an 80% uplift in customers ordering vegetarian options at McDonald’s, so it is time for the brand famous for the dippable McNugget to launch a dippable option for our vegetarian, vegan and flexitarian customers,” says Thomas O’Neill, head of food marketing at McDonald’s UK & Ireland

The move comes as restaurants continue to try and capitalise on increasing demand from UK customers for vegetarian and vegan menu options.

Earlier this year US-based fried chicken chain KFC trialled a vegan ‘Imposter’ burger​​ at a select number of its restaurants in London, Bristol and Birmingham.

Meanwhile, Burger King recently released a vegetarian 'Rebel Whopper' in more than 2,500 of its restaurants across 25 countries in Europe, and is reportedly set to launch it in the UK at some point in the future.

In December 2017, McDonald’s trialled its own ‘McVegan’ plant-based burger in several stores in Finland before rolling it out across the entire country as well as across Sweden.

The fast food giant has yet to introduce the burger into its UK restaurants, however, a petition​​ run by animal rights activist group Peta is calling on the company change that.