McDonald's Unveils Vegan Burger in Finland

Since the first McDonald's opened way back in 1940, it hasn't exactly been a vegan- and vegetarian-friendly chain. But after years of leaving herbivores to make a meal out of french fries, surprisingly caloric salads, and not much else, Mickey D's is finally starting to directly appeal to the Big Mac-averse.

According to a local news source, a handful of McDonald's locations in one Scandinavian town are currently testing a "McVegan" sandwich for a limited time, per a translation from vegan blog Veggie Athletic. The McVegan was unveiled on October 4 at the chain's Tampere, Finland, locations and according to McDonald's Finland, features a soy patty, vegan McFeast sauce, lettuce, tomatoes, and pickles—no cheese—all on the restaurant's signature sesame seed bun.

The soy-based sandwich will be available until November 21, after which McDonald's will evaluate its sales and determine whether it will add the McVegan to more menus around the world, according to Christoffer Rönnblad, marketing director for the company's Finnish branch. Rönnblad reportedly said that early feedback for the new offering had been positive. "At least the feedback that we have quickly received, and what reception has been online yesterday and already the other day, it has been quite positive. We are going to be positive in this test," he said, according to Veggie Athletic. Rönnblad also confirmed that the fries at all Finnish McDonald's are "completely vegan" as well. (You may recall that McDonald's was sued earlier this year by several vegetarian and religious groups for failing to disclose that small amounts of beef flavoring are added to their fries in North American restaurants.)

Several Finns have already made the trek to Tampere—one of the largest urban areas in Scandinavia—to try out the McVegan. Many shared their history-making meals on Instagram, with most giving the sandwich a rave review. "After boycotting McDonald's for 20+ years I had to try the new #mcvegan," one wrote, adding that it was "really good." "Who would've believed? McD selling vegan burger," another wrote. "Quite good to my taste."

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