McDonald’s to Debut Its First Vegan-Certified Meal in UK 

On January 2—in time for the start of the Veganuary campaign—McDonald’s will launch its first vegan meal in the United Kingdom and Ireland. The meal will feature breadcrumb-coated Veggie Dippers made from red pepper, rice, sun-dried tomato pesto, and split peas. The new menu item ingredients and cooking method have been approved by the UK’s Vegan Society. The Veggie Dippers can be purchased on their own for £3.29 ($4.34) for four dippers, or paired with French fries, any soft drink, and dipping sauce to make it a full vegan meal for £4.99 ($6.58). The dippers can also be ordered as part of a Happy Meal, which includes two Veggie Dippers, a vegan side (vegetable sticks, fruit, or French fries), and water or a Fruit Shoot for £2.99 ($3.94). “In the last 12 months, we’ve seen an 80-percent 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,” Thomas O’Neill, head of food marketing at McDonald’s UK and Ireland, said. “The Veggie Dippers are a delicious addition to our menu and we’re looking forward to seeing what customers make of our first vegan Extra Value Meal and Happy Meal in the New Year.” Earlier this year, McDonald’s UK debuted its first vegan Happy Meal, which includes all vegan items but is labeled “vegetarian” because the tortilla wraps used for the sandwich share a toaster with the chain’s buns, which contain milk.