Fast Food Issues: Hidden Ingredients

Now that I’ve covered the veggie options that fast food restaurants offer, it’s time to cover the things they don't – and unfortunately, many of the things that appear to be veggie friendly are far from it.

Below is a list of the many hidden ingredients and vegetarian un-friendly foods found at fast food restaurants. I’ve used the same five fast food restaurant examples as from my previous post – all of this information can be found for other restaurants at the Online Vegetarian Restaurants Guide.

Keep in mind this is only a list of the foods I’ve researched and discovered. If you’re a strict vegetarian or vegan, it’s always a good idea to look up a new restaurant before trying it out.


The “NOs” of fast food:

McDonalds

If vegetarian:
Fries and hashbrowns – They’re cooked in veggie oil, but both are actually made with beef flavoring from real beef.
Fish – I just have to clear this one up real quick. If you consider yourself to be vegetarian, fish should not be on your plate. It's not considered vegetarian.
Hamburgers – Another one that seems silly to mention, but I feel I really have to clear this up as well. There's an awful rumor going around that the McDonald’s hamburgers are made with mostly soy, so there's hardly any meat (or even no meat) in them. That's COMPLETELY false.
Salad dressings – Many of their dressings contain anchovies and eggs – stick to the vinaigrette dressings to be safe.

If vegan:
Pretty much everything is a “no” for vegans at McDonalds – except the apple pies and salads (with ginger or vinaigrette dressings)


Burger King

If vegetarian:
Milk shakes – They contain animal-derived gelatin. Not all vegetarians avoid gelatin, however; that decision is yours.
Cheese – This is another debatable one. The cheese at Burger King contains rennet (from calve stomach), which many vegetarians avoid.
Veggie burgers – I’m still not clear on this one honestly. Their veggie burger is Morningstar, which is a vegetarian brand, yet on Burger King’s Web site they state: "Burger King Corporation makes no claim that the BK VeggieTM Burger or any other of its products meets the requirements of a vegan or vegetarian diet."

If vegan:
Bread/buns and croissants – The buns are made with milk and egg products.
Onion rings – They contain dairy and egg ingredients.
Bagels – They also contain dairy and egg ingredients.
Desserts (all, including the pies) – They all contain dairy products.


Arby's

If vegetarian:
Spicy brown honey mustard – Contains anchovies.

If vegan:
Danishes – They contain gelatin. (And again, gelatin is something vegetarians might also want to avoid.)


Moe’s Southwest Grill

If vegetarian:
Everything’s a “yes” on Moe’s menu except the meat. You can still order any meal on the menu, either for cheaper with no meat, or with grilled veggies or tofu as a meat substitute.

If vegan:
Nearly everything is fine for vegans also. Other than the meat, the only food you’d need to avoid is the cheese and sour cream. Also, the chipotle ranch salad dressing contains dairy products.


Subway

If vegetarian:

Cheese – The cheese at some Subway restaurants contain rennet. However, most Subways offer vegetarian cheese.
Asiago Caesar dressing – Contains anchovies. Some other dressings may contain animal-derived ingredients.

If vegan:

(Some bread) – The parmesan/oregano and deli style rolls contain eggs and dairy products. The wheat bread contains honey (a debatable ingredient).
Honey mustard and Southwest Ancho sauces – Contain honey and eggs.
Cookies – Contain eggs.



Some great links about hidden ingredients:

The Vegetarian Resource Group has a wonderful section on their site listing the most common “hidden ingredient” questions. Although they won’t tell you the specifics about menu items at restaurants, they do provide one of the best sources for figuring out what ingredients to look out for.

The Online Vegetarian Restaurants Guide is a great site for locating the closest veggie-friendly restaurants in your area. It also lists specific restaurant chains and analyzes their menus, including which foods are considered veg*an and which aren’t.

The Vegan Society lists the exact criteria for food to be labeled as “vegan.” This site if for the super serious vegan. I don’t recommend this site to just-beginning vegetarians or vegans. If you haven’t been living veggie for a good while, this list might be a little overwhelming.