If you're a vegetarian and you love that McDonald's taste (hello, fries!) but have always lamented the fact that they don't have a lot of veggie options, your prayers might just be answered.
As reported by The Independent, the fast-food chain has finally created a vegan burger, but there's a catch: So far, the burger is only available in Finland, and for a limited time only.
Take a look at it in all its delicious glory:
Called the (what else?) McVegan, the burger is made up of a soy-based patty topped with tomato, salad, pickles, and vegan McFeast sauce, on a classic McDonald's bun.
For now, McDonald's is doing a test run of the McVegan in Tampere, Finland, from Oct. 4 to Nov. 21.
With more and more people becoming vegetarian (there are about 375 million vegetarians in the world, as per stats in 2015), including 12 million Canadians who are already vegetarian or eating less meat, it makes sense for more restaurants, especially fast-food chains, to include more vegetarian and vegan options on their menus.
Some companies are already launching vegan-friendly products β Pizza Hut's vegan cheese, for example β to fill in that gap, but many of them have been slow to keep up with the demand for healthier, vegetarian products.
And with increasing public awareness on the health benefits of eating less meat, as well as an awareness of the horrific treatment of animals on factory farms, more people are choosing to go vegetarian and vegan.
Canadians in particular are becoming more conscious about their meat consumption. According to Statista, in 2016, a quarter of consumers in a survey conducted in Canada stated that they try to limit the amount of red meat they eat, while eight percent identified themselves as vegetarians or mostly vegetarian.
With increasing public awareness on the health benefits of eating less meat, as well as an awareness of the horrific treatment of animals on factory farms, more people are choosing to go vegetarian and vegan.
The site also reports that the consumption per capita of beef and pork in Canada has declined between 2012 and 2014, with British Columbia having the biggest vegetarian population in Canada.
But there are a few bright spots within the fast-food vegetarian landscape. Amy's Drive Thru, for example, is an American vegetarian fast-food chain that serves organic, local, vegetarian, and non-GMO food.
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And a vegan Big Mac β the Big MACinnes β was one of the most popular items at the 2016 Ribfest in London, Ont.
So, while we don't know whether the McVegan will become a reality for Canadians (we've reached out to a McDonald's rep for comment), we really hope they will start thinking about including more vegetarian and vegan options on their menu.
Update: A rep for McDonald's Canada told HuffPost Canada: "We don't have any current plans to introduce a vegan burger in Canada. Though, we are always inspired by other McDonald's markets around the world and looking for new flavours and menu items for our Canadian guests to enjoy."
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