The Best And Worst Restaurant Chains For Plant-Based Options

A new report from World Animal Protection has rated popular restaurant chains in Canada on their plant-based options.

It scored the likes of McDonald’s, Burger King, KFC, and Chipotle in accordance with their vegan product offerings and efforts to reduce the quantity of animal-based foods in their businesses. These measures, the report says, are “critical steps to protecting our planet and building an equitable, sustainable, and humane food system.”

Almost across the board, restaurant chains in Canada are failing to provide adequate plant-based options. This is despite the fact that research has shown the more meat-free options are on offer, the more likely it is that meat-eaters will choose them. This means that restaurant chains could be doing more to reduce meat consumption and tackle the huge ethical and environmental costs of animal agriculture.

Report findings

The outside of fast food chain KFC — Adobe Stock KFC scored very poorly on the report

The report, titled Moving the Menu 2024, looked at 23 restaurant chains in categories including burgers, chicken, coffee, sandwich, and Latin/Mexican-inspired. A total of eight restaurants were given the lowest grade, “F,” which denotes “very poor progress.” The “F” rated restaurants include McDonald’s, KFC, Wendy’s, and Popeye’s, which are among the most popular eateries in the country. Among those ranked “D” (little progress) were Subway, Taco Bell, and Swiss Chalet. The “C” rated restaurants that are “making progress” included Starbucks, Tim Hortons, and Burger King.

The highest ranking given to the restaurants was “B,” and only one restaurant – Chipotle – achieved this grade. The Mexican-inspired restaurant is making “good progress,” according to the report, thanks to its large selection of default plant-based options rich in beans, guacamole, salsa, and other vegan ingredients. Chipotle also actively encourages its customers to choose plant-based foods via initiatives like “Plant-Based Fridays,” where delivery is free for vegan food.

Canadians eat nearly twice the global average amount of meat per capita, and restaurants are doing very little to help combat this. While some progress is being made, World Animal Protection has expressed concern that not enough is being done to address Canada’s high meat consumption.

“Sadly, most of the largest restaurant chains in Canada are falling short in their efforts to invest in a humane and sustainable food system,” the report says. “Few have taken meaningful steps to diversify the protein offerings on their menus, and none have set the clear meat reduction goals necessary to meet climate and other sustainability commitments.”