Having stepped into 2020, many brands are not hesitating to abide by the old adage of 'New Year, New Me', as we already see plenty of familiar names expanding their traditional offerings to include vegan friendly alternatives.
Fried chicken is far from the first to spring to mind when considering what is best for a vegan diet, yet
KFC have stepped forward with their Original Recipe Vegan Burger, utilising the well regarded Quorn alternative to create the greatly received alternative; retaining its unique secret recipe flavour despite zero meat.
Having already caused a stir with the previous release of their debut vegan sausage roll, Greggs have broadened their horizons and invented a vegan version of their ever popular steak bake, wrapping their 96 layers of crisp puff pastry around savoury flavoured mycoprotein pieces and diced onions in a rich gravy; a creation also in collaboration with Quorn.
Wagamama have already found themselves gaining plenty attention for their latest addition to their popular vegan range, creating the vegan Suika Tuna dish, seeing the fish replaced with fried slices of dried watermelon. Though the flavour is difficult to replicate, many have been impressed with the texture's similarity to that traditional tuna sushi.
The vegan croissant can now be found at Pret a Manger, swerving all animal produce to create a familiarly buttery pastry, featuring the addition of a berry compote for a fruity edge. This is a small part of Pret's overall ambitions to cement themselves as vegan champions, having already removed charges for milk alternatives and now offering oat milk in all stores.
Seemingly behind the curve, McDonald's have only now released their Veggie Dippers to slightly expand their vegan friendly options to potential customers, with many unconvinced by the brand's effort to support the vegan cause given the lack of imagination for something which critics say resembles fried vegetarian burgers.
Burger King have released the Rebel Whopper, created with Vegetarian Butcher, a Dutch brand purchased by Unilever in 2018. The soy burger itself is perhaps nothing new, but does maintain the familiar flame grilled flavour which Burger King prides itself upon by being cooked in the same process, as well as including all the usual additions such as mayonnaise and crispy onions.
It looks to be another huge year for Veganism in 2020, with thefoodpeople at hand to guide you through the myriad of new alternatives from across the industry.