Please note: We often depend on company statements for products and ingredient information. It is impossible to be 100% sure about a statement, info can change, people have different views, and mistakes can be made. Please use your own best judgment about whether a product is suitable for you. Please practice kindness to all, including those with different views and opinions.
The Beyond Burger is on the menu at 469 TGI Fridays; Have you tried it?
Eating Vegan at Pret Keeps Getting Better!
White Castle Adds Second Vegan Slider Option!
It's Easier to Find Vegan Pizza in Canada Now!
Coffee Lovers Rejoice: Dunkin' Donuts Now Serves Almond Milk!
TCBY's newest vegan flavor is Coconutmilk!
Chipotle to Expand Tofu Sofritas to New York and New England March 3rd!
Subway is Offering a Vegan Patty in Canada at Select Locations!
New for 2011 on McDonald's national menu is Fruit & Maple Oatmeal. Made with whole grain rolled oats, it may be ordered with or without cream. This product may also be ordered without brown sugar, diced apples, or the cranberry raisin blend according to Ashley, a customer service representative at McDonald's who spoke with us about the Fruit & Maple Oatmeal. Patrons must request their preferences upon ordering.
Readers who looked at the Ingredients Statement posted on McDonald's website in early February 2011 may have been confused by the presence of two entries for this product, one of which omitted the word "cream" but was followed by "contains milk." The second entry also omitted "cream" but did not have an allergen alert for milk.
We contacted McDonald's to clear up the confusion. Ashley called me back and said it was an error. The word "cream" now appears in the entry. Later, Amanda, a supervisor on the consumer hotline at McDonald's, confirmed that cream is a standard part of the menu item. Upon ordering, patrons must request that it not be added.
The word "cream" does appear in the entry at this time but there is no "contains: milk" in bold after it. Other entries containing milk products do have this allergen alert in the Ingredients Statement, but the Fruit & Maple Oatmeal does not. We have mentioned this to a supervisor on the McDonald's hotline. She stated that "it's common knowledge" that "cream" is a milk product.
Readers may also note that McDonald's acknowledges that there is no maple syrup or maple sugar derived from maple trees in McDonald's Fruit and Maple Oatmeal. This became an issue in Vermont due to laws regarding how the word "maple" is used in products and how it appears on labels. Through settlement, McDonald's has agreed to offer maple syrup and sugar as options in its Fruit and Maple Oatmeal sold in that state.
Fruit & Maple Oatmeal is offered throughout the day at McDonald's restaurants. Patrons must make their preferences clear when ordering if they do not wish the cream or other components to be added.
The VRG recently received an email from a London reader asking about L-cysteine in Domino's pizza. He reported to us that Domino's UK told him that the L-cysteine used in the United Kingdom "is made synthetically" and wondered if this were true for the United States.
A Pacific Northwest VRG member asked us about the source of the L-cysteine in the cherry pies at her local McDonald's. Erin, a McDonald's customer service representative, told us in January 2009 that since the cherry pie is not a national, "core" menu item, no information about the pie was available. Erin suggested that we contact the local restaurants that carry it.
The VRG made several random calls to McDonald's restaurants in Seattle, WA and Portland, OR. We were given a wide variety of answers but the general conclusion was that no one knew because they had no ingredient information. We were directed back to the corporate offices of McDonald's.
The VRG discovered that the Bama Company supplies McDonald's with their pies. We left several messages and sent several emails to Bama in the spring of 2009 but received no response.
In May 2009, The VRG received a call from Kathy at McDonald's Illinois corporate office. She told us that the L-cysteine in McDonald's cherry pie is derived "from an animal source." When we inquired further regarding the specific animal source, Kathy told us that the supplier did not provide any more specification. Kathy also noted that supplier and ingredient information may change and that they guarantee no product as vegetarian.
As a follow-up, The VRG called the McDonald's consumers line again and asked if the L-cysteine in the apple pie was also derived from "an animal source." In November 2009, Michaela told us that the L-cysteine in the apple pie was from an animal source. When we asked for more specification, Josie, who works in menu development at McDonald's corporate office, called us and said that the L-cysteine in the apple pie is from "an animal source but not human-derived." When I asked for more specification (specifically, whether it was from duck feathers), she said that she had no other information and said that degree of specification is proprietary information.
Interested readers may refer to our article on L-cysteine available here: http://www.vrg.org/journal/vj2008issue1/2008_issue1_lcysteine.php Readers may subscribe to our free enewsletter at www.vrg.org for further updates on ingredients used at McDonald's and all other major restaurant chains.
Subway has been a longtime favorite of some vegetarians because of the choices patrons have in customizing their own subs and salads. As the leading deli-style fast food chain in the United States, Subway continues to offer its Veggie Delite® subs and salads. According to Lanette Kovachi, MS, RD, the Corporate Dietitian at Subway, "[p]atrons can customize our Veggie Delite® offerings with any bread, vegetable, sauce or cheese that they want." Of course, they can be ordered without cheese.
According to Subway, the Italian Bread, the Hearty Italian Bread, and the Sourdough Bread are free of animal ingredients. When the following ingredients appear in other Subway bread items, Subway patrons may be assured that they are not animal derived: amylase, mono- and diglycerides, and sodium stearoyl-2-lactylate.
Kovachi noted that the Fat Free Sweet Onion Sauce is made without animal ingredients, although like Subway's other sauces, it does contain sugar. This may be used as a dressing on salads as well as on subs.
Concerning the dessert items at Subway, Kovachi reports that the natural flavorings for the cookies are "plant derived unless specified as 'butter flavoring.' [T]hen it is derived from butter." The mono- and diglycerides in the cookies offered at Subway are also non-animal-derived.
This information is not meant to provide personal medical advice, which should be obtained from a qualified health professional. We often depend on company statements for product and ingredient information. It is impossible to be 100% sure about a statement, info can change, people have different views, and mistakes can be made. Please use your own best judgment about whether a product is suitable for you. To be sure, do further research or confirmation on your own.
Below is a summary of our September, 2007 report on McDonald's menu items. Telephone conversations and email correspondence with McDonald's staff members as well as website information serve as the basis of this report.
Readers should be aware that we have not listed all of the ingredients for each menu item. Those ingredients that are listed are those that vegetarians and/or vegans avoid, or may avoid, for various reasons.
We have made an effort to include ingredients that may be of questionable origin because they may be derived from different sources (e.g., animal, vegetable, microbial or synthetic sources). In some cases, restaurant chains inform us of specific ingredient origins and this information is contained in the entries.
If you are not familiar with a particular ingredient listed here, you may consult The VRG's Guide to Food Ingredients for more information. The current edition is available for $6. Contact The VRG at (410) 366-8343 or via its website at http://www.vrg.org/catalog/fing.htm in order to purchase it. Look for updated entries in the VRG e-mail newsletter. Sign up at http://www.vrg.org.
Readers should remember that restaurants sometimes make changes to their formulations and may change suppliers. To be sure about the ingredients in a particular food, or a food preparation technique, concerned patrons should ask the restaurant manager, or contact the restaurant chain directly.
When we inquired about certain menu items late last year, McDonald's told us that it is possible to order just a bun with certain condiments. A customer service representative told us by email that "[B]ecause we are committed to serving our customers "what they want,' feel free to request any of our sandwiches without the meat." However, it is most likely not possible to order a customized salad (for example, without the bacon bits), since salad preparation occurs in the morning. Restaurant patrons are encouraged to inquire at particular McDonald's restaurants if they wish to order a customized menu item.
As of August, 2007, this is information about the food items offered at McDonald's. Note that not all ingredients are listed for each menu item.
Please note that the honey wheat roll contains L-cysteine derived from duck feathers.
Please note that the baked apple pie contains L-cysteine derived from duck feathers, but appears not to have major ingredients that are animal products.
We often depend on company statements for product and ingredient information. It is impossible to be 100% sure about a statement, info can change, people have different views, and mistakes can be made. Please use your own best judgment about whether a product is suitable for you. To be sure, do further research or confirmation on your own. The contents of this publication or other VRG information, including our website, is not meant as personal medical advice. Medical advice should be obtained from a qualified health professional.
In May 2007, Burger King told us that they "cannot guarantee" the source of the L-cysteine in some of its products.
McDonald's told us that the L-cysteine in the Honey Wheat Roll, the Deluxe Warm Cinnamon Roll, and the Baked Apple Pie was derived from duck feathers.
Subway told us that as of March 2007, they were taking L-cysteine out of their Carb Conscious Wrap.
Gelatin: McDonald's published on its website, seen in June 2007, that "kosher gelatin" is an ingredient in its yogurt. Previously, no gelatin was listed in the ingredients statement for its yogurt. Taco Bell uses gelatin derived from beef in its sour cream, but the guacamole at Taco Bell is gelatin-free.
Pizza Hut told us that none of its cheeses contain animal rennet. The Thin 'N Crispy® Dough, the Hand-Tossed Style Dough and the Stuffed Crust Dough are free of animal ingredients. The XL Full House® Dough and the 4ForAll® Dough contain sugar. Pizza Hut's Regular Pizza Sauce and its Sweet Pizza Sauce are free of animal ingredients. The French Dressing is free of all animal products. Patrons at Pizza Hut can request the animal-free rotelli or spaghetti by itself or with the marinara sauce, also free of animal products. The PastaBakes® White Pasta Sauce contains chicken fat.
Taco Bell informed us that all of its cheeses are made with genetically-engineered chymosin (no animal rennet). It is possible to order items without sour cream. The beans and rice (both the Seasoned Rice and the Express Rice) are free of animal ingredients. They may be put on a taco or tortilla with lettuce and tomatoes. Taco Bell told us that "[a]ll of our menu items can be customized. When ordered 'Fresco Style' we'll swap our freshly prepared Fiesta Salsa for any sauce or cheese." (The Fiesta Salsa contains no animal products while many of the sauces contain egg and/or dairy ingredients. The Red Sauce, Mild Sauce, and Hot Sauce do not.) Taco Bell Quality Assurance told us that "[t]he enzymes used in the tortillas, flatbread, and Nacho Cheese Sauce are vegetable-based." All of Taco Bell's bread products, except the taco shells, the tostada shells, the tortillas, and the nacho chips, contain L-cysteine of an unspecified source. The flour tortilla contains the dough conditioners DATEM, mono – and diglycerides, and enzyme, all of unspecified sources. The Potato Bites are free of animal products and may be ordered without the cheese. Taco Bell does not use lard in any of its products. Patrons should note that the following items are fried in the same oil: Nacho Chips, Taco Salad Shell, Mexican Pizza Shell, Caramel Apple Empanada, Cinnamon Twists, Chalupa Shells, Potato Bites, and the Red Strips. The Caramel Apple Empanada contains dairy products.
Burger King declined to answer our questions about its menu items for this fast food report. In the Ingredient Statement on its United States website, Burger King reports that its French fries and onion rings are free of animal ingredients. In the United States, the fries are cooked in fryers designated for French fries only. The onion rings are fried along with meat products in shared fryers. In the United States, Burger King has a Veggie® Burger containing eggs and dairy on its National Menu. It is cooked in a microwave. In Canada, the BK Veggie® Burger is listed as being free of all animal products. Burger King restaurants in Canada also sell baked potatoes free of all animal products. Burger King makes no claim that its products meet the needs of a vegetarian or vegan diet.
Domino's told us that the enzymes in its cheeses and in its pizza doughs are non-animal-derived. Domino's Pizza Sauce remains free of all animal ingredients although it contains sugar. The Thin Crust Dough is free of all animal ingredients. The other pizza crusts contain dairy products. Domino's did not tell us more information about the natural flavors listed in several of its products.
Subway offers a Veggie Delite® sub that patrons can customize to their liking. According to Subway's nutrition staff, the Italian Bread, the Hearty Italian Bread, and the Sourdough Bread are free of animal ingredients. The chain couldn't guarantee if all cheeses are free of animal rennet because of supplier changes. Selected Subways offer a dairy- and egg-containing Veggie Burger. Subway now lists apple sections and raisins on its National Menu that are free of animal-derived additives and which may be purchased separately or with a meal.
Selected Dunkin' Donuts offer soy milk lattes. The Personal Cheese Pizza crust is made with whey and L-cysteine of an unspecified source. The Pizza Sauce contains cheeses made with enzymes of unspecified sources. Stores with Dunkin' Deli® shops, (in a few states only at this time), offer a Vegetarian Sandwich that can be made to order. The flatbread contains L-cysteine of an unspecified source as well as nonfat dry milk. The white bread is made with DATEM and enzymes of unspecified sources. The Broccoli Cheese Soup contains chicken broth. The Timberline Chili with Beans contains beef.
Papa John's added dairy-derived natural flavors to its Thin Crust Pizza Dough. The Original Pizza Dough and the Garlic Sauce are listed as free of all animal ingredients. The Original Pizza Sauce and the Pizza Sauce Dipping Cup contain sugar. The Robusto Pizza Sauce contains sugar and natural flavors of an unspecified source. The Pan Pizza Shells contain L-cysteine of an unspecified source. None of the cheeses contain animal rennet.
Contact The Vegetarian Resource Group, P.O. Box 1463, Baltimore, MD 21203.
We often depend on company statements for products and ingredient information. It is impossible to be 100% sure about a statement, info can change, people have different views, and mistakes can be made. Please use your own best judgment about whether a product is suitable for you. Please practice kindness to all, including those with different views and opinions.