Supporting Plant Based Options At Non Plant-Based Establishments

With the recent announcement from McDonalds that they are releasing a McPlant burger, the discussion once again shifts to whether there is a moral dilemma in supporting these companies. This would be the second opportunity for McDonalds to dive into the plant based market after the launch of the PLT burger last year failed to gain momentum. Why did the burger fail when there is an obvious demand for more plant-based options? I believe it boils down to supporting a horrific company and whether purchasing the plant based options really sends the right message. Let's dive into this topic a little further.

McDonalds is one of the last of the leading fast-food companies to release a plant based burger. A&W released their beyond meat burger to much avail in 2018 as well as the super successful launch of the KFC plant-based chicken burger. Harveys and Burger King have both had their own veggie burgers on their menus for years, both of which are delicious and successful in their own rights. Why did McDonalds plant based burger fail? I believe that it's because of the constant stream of negative publicity they receive for their lackluster animal welfare that has inhibited them from being a player in the plant-based market. My question is, is it really an ethical problem to support a company's plant-based offerings when that company is rooted in animal cruelty?

When the A&W burger was released, despite the initial excitement and support, there was a lot of demands being made by the vegan community. Demands that the patty be cooked on a separate grill, that plant-based mayonnaise be made available for the burger etc., these demands make it appear that releasing the burger was not enough. The company must not only release the burger, but do so in a manner that appeases the community. Do these demands truly demonstrate a support from the community or do they actually work against the plant-based movement by deterring companies from future plant based releases if they cannot do so in a manner that is supported from the community. It's a slippery slope between supporting plant-based options to demonstrate the necessity of having these options  and trying to coerce companies to restructure their whole business to accommodate a single option ethically. Are we working against our own ambitions?

For me personally, I don't care if the burger is cooked on the same grill and I'm going to tell you why. My choice to eat a plant-based burger was made from an ethical standpoint, therefore how it is cooked is irrelevant to my moral compass. It might touch some grease or juices perhaps from a real beef patty and while I agree that I'd rather that not be the case, it doesn't mean that I've turned my back on my morals. My decision to eat plant-based is not affected by the method in which my burger is cooked. I've made an ethical choice and stand by that, regardless of the methods in which that burger makes it to my mouth. I think this is where the vegan community struggles because to them, it is immoral to eat a plant-based burger if it has come into contact with any meat or dairy. This fine line is exactly why McDonalds original plant based launch was doomed to fail. Without community support, sales will not reflect the demand.

Do I believe it is immoral to support a company that is so blatantly cruel in order to contribute to a demand for more plant based products? Not at all. If we do not throw our support behind these products, they will fail and will signal to the company that these options are not worth having. We need to be supportive of these options so that these companies perhaps will play around with other plant based options in the future. It isn't going to be meat-eaters who are buying these products, it's up to us. While I agree that these companies have so much work to do with animal welfare, they are also recognizing that there is a demand for plant-based products and they need to be supported in order to continue down that path. What would push them to release more plant-based products if their current offerings were failing miserably?

Look, I'm the first one to report on the wrong-doings of these companies and the first to call on them to improve their animal welfare. I'm also the first one in line to try their new plant-based products. Is it hypocritical of me? Perhaps, but I believe it's the only way to let these companies know that plant-based is the future and they are going to have to invest in their plant-based offerings if they want to survive in the future. It's up to us to show them the value in plant-based products and without our support, they will be doomed to fail and will continue to focus on the slaughter of animals and les son the power of plants.

What do you guys think?

HAPPY VEG