Plant-based alternatives saved 700K animals in 2021

Chain restaurants’ use of plant-based alternative meat products saved the lives of around 700,000 animals last year, reported USA TODAY.

Burger King was one of the first fast-food restaurants to offer a plant-based version of their flagship sandwich, the Whopper, in 2016.

The market has only expanded since then, and popular fast-food restaurants including Chipotle, Kentucky Fried Chicken and Subway now feature vegan alternatives to their traditional menu items. McDonald's will be the next big player to step into the plant-based arena, with plans to roll out a “McPlant” meatless burger in some stores in the U.S. starting February 14th.

World Animal Protection, a global animal welfare nonprofit, estimated that meat alternatives saved the equivalent of 212,000 pigs, 92,000 cows, and 405,000 chickens in 2021.

“The plant-based food industry is showing no signs of slowing down,” Maha Bazzi, farming campaign manager at World Animal Protection, told USA Today.

Read the full story here.