It was a watershed moment for the fast-food industry. Three years ago today McDonald’s, arguably the world’s most famous burger restaurant, launched its first vegan ‘sandwich’: The McPlant. The chain had spent more than three years developing its innovative burger patty, in collaboration with the UK firm Beyond Meat.
Instead of beef, it was made using pea and rice protein – but designed to look and taste exactly like the real thing. On its launch – timed to coincide with Veganuary, a New Year healthy eating trend where people are challenged to go vegan for a full month – the McPlant was deemed a major success. It rode the wave of a bigger trend, as the public shunned meat and turned en masse to plant-based eating.
Around the same time, supermarket shelves heaved with vegan meat alternatives – and High Street sandwich shops, bakeries and restaurants launched plant-based versions of the bestsellers.
Part of the reason was the advent of new meat alternatives, produced using high-tech methods that ensured they were eerily like the real thing. Now we have the Greggs Vegan Sausage Roll and Vegan Steak Bake, and the KFC Vegan Burger.
Fake meat sausages, mince, burgers and bacon are a familiar sight in shops, with brands such as Impossible Foods, Moving Mountains, This and Vivera. Crucially, the products have been presented as both an ethical alternative to meat – because no animals are harmed in their making – and a healthier option.
Fast food giant McDonald’s brought out the McPlant ‘sandwich’ three years ago today
Just a few years ago, amid this frenzy, nearly a quarter of all new UK food products were labelled vegan, and nearly two-thirds of Britons were regularly buying meat substitutes. However, three years on, it seems the enthusiasm has faded. In the US, the McPlant was discontinued less than 12 months after its launch due to a lack of demand.
And, in the UK, Beyond Meat, which makes the majority of its money supplying McDonald’s and KFC, reported in 2023 its sales had fallen by a third. Alternative meat producer Quorn reported a loss of £63 million last year, after its revenue fell to the lowest point since 2017. Meanwhile, sausage maker Heck announced it would shelve the majority of its vegan products due to a lack of demand.
And according to a survey carried out by the vegan firm Strong Roots, 40 per cent of consumers said they were reducing or cutting out fake meats from their diets.
Experts say that this astonishingly swift change in attitudes is mainly due to growing concerns about ultra-processed foods (UPFs) – products made using artificial ingredients. Indeed, a number of the additives used in meat alternatives have been linked to life-threatening diseases such as bowel cancer.
Strong Roots claims that nearly two-thirds of those quitting vegan meat cite worries about additives. Naysayers include the actor Martin Freeman who, last year, said he had ditched vegetarianism after almost 40 years, citing the ‘very, very processed’ nature of meat-replacement products.
And experts argue that fake meat is not the only dangerous aspect of going vegan. A major Dutch study published last week concluded that a plant-based diet could leave older people frail and lead to an early death. Significantly, the research, which analysed the health records of 70,000 Britons, found that a vegan diet was more likely to harm men. It isn’t clear why.
Other research suggests that vegans are more likely to suffer from bone fractures, depression and even psychosis. And with millions in the UK once again taking part in Veganuary, experts are raising the alarm over the possible dangers of following the extreme diet.
‘Going vegan is safe when done carefully, but this takes a lot of work and many people are not informed about the risks before they begin,’ says Dr Julian Owen, consultant trauma and orthopaedic surgeon at Addenbrooke’s Hospital in Cambridge.
‘Vegans should be undergoing regular blood tests and taking daily supplements. The tragedy is that most vegans don’t take these steps, and they are putting themselves in danger of serious health consequences.’
More than 2.5 million people in the UK consider themselves vegan, according to data. This figure has quadrupled since 2019 when there were roughly 600,000.
The diet involves avoiding any food products that come from an animal. This means that meat and fish are off-limits, but so too are eggs, dairy and even honey.
Numerous high-profile studies claim that vegans live healthier and longer lives than those who eat animal products. Last year, one US study went even claimed that going vegan for just two months could essentially de-age the body, by improving the health and longevity of our body’s cells.
Veganism, supporters argue, is healthier than a diet involving animal products for two reasons. Firstly, research shows that eating a lot of red and, particularly, processed meat raises the risk of serious conditions such as heart disease and bowel cancer.
Secondly, by avoiding animal products, vegans are more likely to eat a diet rich in vegetables, fruits, and pulses, which are among the best sources of fibre and many vitamins and minerals.
However, there is a major caveat. Studies which claim that a plant-based diet is the healthiest option are based on the assumption that vegans eat all the vital nutrients.
And research shows that removing animal products from one’s diet makes it difficult to get certain key nutrients.
Without a good supply of calcium, people are more likely to develop the bone-thinning disease osteoporosis, which can lead to life-changing fractures.
Advocates of vegan eating point out that calcium is found in a variety of plant foods, including kale, broccoli, almonds and chickpeas. However, to achieve the NHS recommended 700mg a day, you’d need to eat eight portions (more than half a kilo) of chickpeas. Or, you could eat 265g of almonds – a whopping 1,500 calories-worth. In contrast, a 200ml glass of skimmed milk contains about 230mg of calcium, a third of our recommended daily amount.
Unsurprisingly, the majority of vegans do not meet their daily calcium requirement. Studies suggest that vegans are three times as likely to suffer hip fractures as non-vegans, which experts say is likely due to a lack of calcium.
‘It’s possible that, with careful planning, vegans can get enough calcium if they eat a wide variety of plant-based foods like beans and pulses,’ says nutritionist Rob Hobson. ‘But it’s not easy.’
Another vital nutrient which many vegans lack is vitamin B12, which is needed to help the body create red blood cells as well as maintaining a healthy nervous system. A B12 deficiency causes fatigue, brain fog, depression and even psychosis. It can also put people at risk of life-threatening complications including strokes. ‘The symptoms of severe B12 deficiency are akin to those experienced by an Alzheimer’s or Parkinson’s patient,’ warns Dr Owen.
Crucially, B12 is found almost exclusively in animal products. For this reason, the Vegan Society recommends that all vegans take a daily vitamin B12 supplement. However, many vegans remain deficient. ‘Veganism and B12 deficiency go hand-in-hand,’ says Dr Owen.
‘Most people who start the diet as part of Veganuary won’t know about the steps they need to take to stay healthy.’
And while calcium and B12 are the most dangerous deficiencies vegans face, they are also at risk of low levels of vitamin D, vitamin B, zinc and potassium.
‘If you want to follow a vegan diet and stay healthy, it requires a lot of planning,’ says Rob Hobson. ‘You have to make sure each meal has the right balance of nutrients. That’s a level of organisation many people do not have.’
But what about meat alternatives, like the McDonald’s McPlant? Do they provide the nutrients vegans often lack?
One study, published last year in The Lancet, found that people who swapped meat and dairy foods for processed plant-based products were 15 per cent more likely to suffer heart attacks and strokes.
The products are typically manufactured from a variety of protein powders, flavourings and additives, mixed with fats and water, heated and then cooled under pressure and pushed through an extrusion machine.
Emulsifiers are additives used in many UPFs – including plant-based meat alternatives – that help mix two substances that separate, such as oil and water.
But some experts suggest over time, they could affect the gut lining and trigger changes that ultimately lead to bowel cancer.
‘These products became popular because people wanted to eat a more plant-based diet without losing out on their favourite meals,’ says Rob Hobson.
‘But the fact is that many of these fake meats are filled with ultra-processed ingredients that are not natural. We don’t fully understand the impact these ingredients have on the body, but some of the evidence out there so far looks worrying.’
The majority of experts agree that the healthiest diet is one that is rich in vegetables and pulses, but contains some animal products, too.
Professor Tim Spector, founder of the diet app Zoe, recommends that people consume more than 30 portions of plant-based food every week.
However, he also argues that we should eat fish once or twice a week, regularly have eggs and milk, and eat lean meat occasionally as a treat to be savoured.
Why McDonald’s fake meat burger turned me off being vegetarian
Health comment by Barney Calman
For some, it’s bacon. Others, roast chicken. When people go vegetarian, there’s usually at least one meaty thing they miss. For me, it was always burgers.
I stopped eating meat about ten years ago. As a health reporter I was fed up writing stories about deadly outbreaks of bacteria linked to supermarket meat.
Health Editors Barney Calman and Eve Simmons try the McPlant burger
And to be honest, I never looked back… unless I was passing a McDonald’s.
Yes, you could get veggie burgers. But they just weren’t the same. So when the new wave of fake meat patties arrived – looking and tasting incredibly like the real thing – I was an enthusiastic early adopter. It didn’t matter to me that these products were about as natural as a can of Dulux paint. They were considered plant-based, so I could eat them guilt-free.
So I was first in the queue to try McDonald’s McPlant – giving it a glowing review in these pages.
After fake beef came fake sausages and bacon. I quickly incorporated these artifical products into my diet. But I began to realise how rough I felt after eating them. I’d sleep badly, dehydrated by all the salt they have in them. The next day, I’d often be a bit constipated. I even appeared to be gaining weight.
About three months ago, while on holiday, I decided to try a real meat burger as an experiment. The difference was night and day. I felt great. None of the side effects I’d suffered with the fake stuff. And that was it. I quit being a veggie and, honestly, it’s been great.
I’d say 80 per cent of my meals now are meat-free but if I want a steak, I’ll have one – and it’s incredibly satisfying. And given the new fears about long-term damage these synthetic foods may have, I think I made the right choice.
This article was originally published by a www.dailymail.co.uk . Read the Original article here. .