If you are aware of a fast food place with good vegetarian options please let us know. Send new listings or updates to directory@veg.ca. Your feedback is appreciated.

General notes and scope

Verify vegetarian options when ordering – Menu items can change over time and between locations. Also, if you are looking for vegan options, ask about condiments and sauces. (i.e.: some places may automatically add mayonnaise to a veggie burger.)

Cross-contamination – Some chains do a good job of keeping vegetarian items separate, but many don't and there can be variations between locations. Veggie burgers are often cooked on the same grill as the meat, and French fries may be deep-fried in the same oil as the chicken. Ask before ordering if this is a concern.

Unhealthy fats – Most chains use liberal amounts of saturated fat, hydrogenated (trans fats) oils, and palm oil (a naturally-saturated vegetable oil that has been associated with rainforest destruction).

Caesar salad – Assume the dressing contains anchovies (fish) and egg, unless mentioned as otherwise.

Chemical additives and preservatives – These are very prominent. For example the ingredient lists for many of the items at Burger King are over 50 words long. Many of the big chains use dimethylpolysiloxene and TBHQ. Here is a quote from the Omnivore's Dilemma about the presence of these "toxic" ingredients in McDonald's Chicken McNuggets:

"...Then there are "anti-foaming agents" like dimethylpolysiloxene, added to the cooking oil to keep the starches from binding to air molecules, so as to produce foam during the fry. The problem is evidently grave enough to warrant adding a toxic chemical to the food: According to the Handbook of Food Additives, dimethylpolysiloxene is a suspected carcinogen and an established mutagen, tumorigen, and reproductive effector; it's also flammable.

But perhaps the most alarming ingredient in a Chicken McNugget is tertiary butylhydroquinone, or TBHQ, an antioxidant derived from petroleum that is either sprayed directly on the nugget or the inside of the box it comes in to "help preserve freshness." According to A Consumer's Dictionary of Food Additives, TBHQ is a form of butane (i.e. lighter fluid) the FDA allows processors to use sparingly in our food: It can comprise no more than 0.02 percent of the oil in a nugget. Which is probably just as well, considering that ingesting a single gram of TBHQ can cause "nausea, vomiting, ringing in the ears, delirium, a sense of suffocation, and collapse." Ingesting five grams of TBHQ can kill.

Animal or plant source additives? – Many additives, such as sodium stearoyl lactylate, can come from either. Rennet can be from an animal (calf stomach) or non-animal source. According to Wikipedia, Microbial rennet is used more often in North America today because it is less expensive than animal rennet, whereas cheese from Europe is more likely to be made from animal rennet due to tradition. Lipase is another ingredient frequently found in cheese that can be from a vegetarian or non-vegetarian source. One additive called L-cysteine is frequently found in bread products at fast food places and is commonly derived from duck feathers. A synthetic version is available but not commonly used. It would be near impossible to verify the source of all the additives at fast food restaurants. Our investigation has mainly focused on the obvious animal, milk and egg derived products such as whey (dairy), modified milk ingredients, egg whites, cholesterol (meat, dairy or eggs) gelatin (animal bones) or beef flavouring and fat.

Allergen info – Many chains now have allergen charts that you can view as pdfs. They tend to err on the side of caution (or avoidance of lawsuits). For example if a vegan product is made in the same facility where products with milk or egg are made, they may be flagged for "milk" or "egg" due to the chance of cross contamination. Ask to see an ingredient list before ordering if you are concerned.

Scope – Ingredient information is geared to fast food chains in Canada, the United States, and to a lesser extent, the UK. Information may be different in other countries, and is subject to change over time. For more information about options in the United States see Vegan Eating Out (75 fast food chains researched). 

– this symbol indicates a full service restaurant chain. Such places typically have waited tables, larger menus, longer wait times, and more natural, less processed meals.

This report is not meant as an endorsement of fast food eating. We recommend that you support local vegetarian and vegetarian-friendly restaurants whenever possible. For an extensive list in Toronto, see our Vegetarian Directory and for other places, see our World links page.

Originally researched and written by Thom Oommen.