Taco Bell, the long term “go-to” for many vegans and vegetarians, is releasing a special vegetarian-friendly menu!

As part of Taco Bell’s new 2019 “Tacos With a Side of Purpose” initiative, a dedicated vegetarian-friendly menu has debuted that will be featuring new items, including new vegan items! As of now, this menu has debuted in Dallas, Texas, however it is expected to go nationwide later on in 2019 or in early 2020. The menu includes three items: a vegetarian CrunchWrap Supreme, the 7-Layer Burrito, and a vegetarian Quesarito.

As per the “7 Commitments Taco Bell Is Making In 2019” featured on their website,  Taco Bell’s goal is to be able to cater more to animal-friendly eaters while living up to their commitment of ingredients that are high quality, healthy, and tasty. They have stated that they have more than 8 million vegetarian combinations on their menu and this can make ordering difficult, which is why they have begun to test out a fully vegetarian menu. Taco Bell also added ‘Make it Meatless’ information to their website and app. This allows any potential customers to plan out their orders beforehand with options to swap meats out with beans.

In addition to these three items on the vegetarian menu, you can find additional meatless options by looking for a green “V” throughout their the menu. For vegan options, you can easily order one of the vegetarian menu items “Fresco Style” and they’ll replace the cheese and sour scream with pico de gallo.. These options have made Taco Bell the first and only fast food restaurant that offers food options that are certified by the American Vegetarian Association!

It is important for fast food restaurants to include options for vegans and vegetarians. As said by Karissa Ramsawak, the Digital Media shop teacher, “It is necessary for such implementations to be made throughout fast food restaurants to be inclusive. I have been vegan for a little over a year, and these changes make eating out more convenient and allows everyone to have an option.”  

These changes and implementations are a step in the positive direction. Not only do they provide more options for vegetarians and vegans, but they cause the general population to think more about what they are eating.