When McDonald’s recently announced the introduction of a vegan burger in Sweden and Finland, Twitter responded with a mix of earnest enthusiasm (@themodvegan: “So exciting- I hope we’re next”), a little disgust (@JenaRoberta: “why would a vegan ever…support a company that sells millions of dead cow burgers a day?), and a touch of guilty hand-wringing from aging ideologues (@siniauer: “Feels like I’m cheating the 90’s me”).
As someone who has spent the better part of two decades wandering up and down the vegetarian spectrum, I’m with the last caller. But the overall thumbs-up emanating from the Twitterverse says a lot about the changing nature of vegetarianism, and the market driving this move.
According to a recent poll by Animal Rights Sweden, almost 1 in 10 Swedes is now vegetarian or vegan. Among the under-30s, the figure is an even more staggering 1 in 5. But perhaps the most eye-catching statistic from McDonald’s viewpoint is that half of Swedes expressed an increased interest in choosing vegetarian options during the last year. It’s these folks, the flexitarians, who are the McVegan’s real target audience.
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