Plant-based food is no longer a fringe trend – it is becoming a fast-food staple. Across Canada, major quick-service restaurants are responding to the growing consumer demand for meals that are kinder to animals, healthier for people and better for the planet.
Our 2024 Moving the Menu report graded Canada’s biggest chains on their plant-based offerings. While no company earned an “A”, the landscape is shifting, and some big players are taking meaningful steps forward.
Signs of progress on the menu
- McDonald’s Canada has made its plant-based burger a permanent nationwide menu item.
- A&W introduced a new plant-based burger to their vegetarian menu, giving customers more options.
- Burger King and Harvey’s continue to offer plant-based burgers.
- Starbucks, Tim Hortons and Second Cup removed their plant-milk upcharge and keep expanding dairy-free milks and plant-based food items.
Even global icons are rethinking their classics. IKEA, famous for selling more than a billion Swedish meatballs worldwide a year (including 40 million in Canada alone), now serves plant-based meatballs as part of its climate pledge to cut food emissions in half by 2030. If IKEA can reimagine its most beloved dish, any restaurant can.
These are important steps forward, but there is still a ways to go. Our Moving the Menu report outlines clear recommendations, and we urge quick-service restaurants to take them on and keep building this momentum. Expanding permanent plant-based options isn’t just the future of food, it’s what Canadians are asking for today.
Some chains are lagging behind
Not every company is keeping pace. Some still rely on limited-time menu items or small-scale trials instead of committing to permanent, nationwide plant-based choices. This slow rollout leaves millions of Canadians without easy access to animal-friendly meals.
Your choices drive change
Every time you choose a plant-based meal, sign a petition or share our campaigns, you send a clear message to the food industry: Canadians want menus that are compassionate, sustainable and delicious. Your voice is powerful.
While Canada’s quick-service restaurants have started to shift, real transformation depends on continued public pressure. Together, we can move plant-based meals from niche options to the new normal on every menu – giving millions of people every day the chance to make an animal-friendly choice without compromise.
Get your plan
Try our meatless meal planner to reduce your carbon emissions while making food choices that help improve the lives of animals.