There are around 600, 000 vegans(素食者) in the UK. That's just over 1 % of the population-an amount expected to increase to 25% by 2025. And if there's one type of food that Brits love, it is fast food. People in the UK love it so much that there was a 34% increase in the number of fast food outlets from 2010 to 2018. It's no surprise, then, that vegan fast food is also on the rise.
Vegan fast food has become big business. At Just Eat, an online food delivery company, vegan orders more than doubled in 2018. Greggs, a chain of high-street bakeries, named its vegan sausage roll the "fastest-selling product in six years". And big franchises such as McDonald's and KFC have announced meat-free chicken nuggets (鸡块) to come in the future.
What's driving this popularity? Katrina Fox, founder of Vegan Business Media, believes it's the result of the breaking down of stereotypes (成见). "Vegan food is no longer seen as a bit of cucumbers and cabbages- you can eat pretty much anything.
It's also claimed that there are health benefits. John Marulanda, owner of Mooshies- a vegan burger bar in London- wants to implement (执行) a change to a healthy version of fast food. Something, he claims, that comes as a result of the inherent(固有的) nutritional value of the ingredients they use.
But, is vegan fast food actually healthy? Azmina Govindji of the British Dietetic Association says "not to assume" that is the case. "It's fine if those products have got vitamin B12, iodine or calcium added to them. But they can still be fried(油炸), it can still have lots of creamy, fatty sauces and lots of salt.
Given the current growth in orders, the trend for vegan fast food isn't likely to disappear any time soon. Health-wise, it may not be any more nourishing than regular fast food, but for many, it's a big benefit that there is no animal suffering in the process.
