McVeggie?  I Think Not.
July 11, 2002

Recently, as many of you are likely aware, McDonald's introduced a new "Lighter Choices" menu, with healthier foods (mostly salads, with some yogurt and a whole wheat bun thrown in).  While I applaud McDonald's effort to add some more nutritional options to their menu (remember, healthier customers mean longer lasting customers), something I noticed the other day left me feeling a little...deceived.

You see, one of the new menu items is the McVeggie, a classic example of soy pretending to be meat.  At face value, this is a great addition: finally, vegetarians will have something to eat there other than the (horrible) Filet-O-Fish.

But look a little closer, folks.  What does that say in light, fine print at the bottom of the posters?  Yes, that's right: "During preparation, the McVeggie burger may come in contact with meat and/or chicken products."

Read that again.

So the McVeggie burger isn't so "veggie" at all.  What they're telling you here is that there could be meat in this vegetarian burger.  Or, maybe it's what they're trying to not tell you, since it's written in such small print (and you can bet they don't mention it in their commercials).

So, one has to ask, what's the point?  Let's examine the reasons why someone would choose a veggie burger over real meat, and see what kind of effect this little McNugget of information would have on them.

Religious Reasons.  Obviously, if it's against someone's religion to eat meat (or to eat meat that hasn't been blessed, as is the case in the Muslim and Jewish faiths), this means that the McVeggie is no longer an option for this group.  McDonald's can't expect people to compromise their religious integrity for the sake of a burger.

Moral Objections.  If someone's chosen to be a vegetarian or vegan, they've done it for a reason.  It might be objections to the way animals are slaughtered; it could be a desire to not eat another (formerly) living being.  Whatever the reason, this group will likely not be impressed with the McVeggie, and will stay away in droves.  A few stragglers from this group may take the McVeggie plunge, but I would expect it to only be a small portion.

Allergies.  This is one of the groups most threatened by McDonald's secrecy.  This group's immediate health - and maybe even their lives - depend on not eating meat products.  With McDonald's doing such a poor job of disclosing the (potential) contents of the McVeggie, they not only stand a good chance of being on the receiving end of a lawsuit, but someone could become seriously ill as well.

Healthy Eating.  This might be the only group that McDonald's could win over - surely trace elements of meat can't affect this group much.  This group would probably still eat the McVeggie - but that's assuming that people looking for healthy food actually go to McDonald's in the first place, which may be a bit of a stretch.

Overall, this doesn't look good on McDonald's.  This discovery raises so many questions: What's the point of having a Veggie burger that could contain meat?  Does the Filet-O-Fish contain meat as well?  If it does, why isn't if disclosed, and if it doesn't, why can't the McVeggie follow the same process to avoid contact with meat?  Why is McDonald's trying to hide this information?  What else hasn't McDonald's told us?

McDonald's needs to rectify this situation, and fast.  Either make the burger with no chance of meat being involved, or openly disclose that it may come in contact with meat (and watch sales plummet).  No good can come of the situation the way it is - customers will find out eventually, and when they do, they won't be happy.

Disclaimer: I do not, nor will I likely ever, fit into any of the above mentioned categories.