Taco Bell is a safe haven for many vegans who otherwise don't have many options when it comes to eating out. This has become so true for many vegetarians and vegans that in October of 2015, Taco Bell became the first quick service restaurant to have a menu certified by the American Vegetarian Association. They have embraced their vegan eaters so much that they even posted a guide on their site showing people how one can alter their ingredients to make their food vegan.
A Little History
It has not been all smooth sailing, as in just March of this year, Taco Bell altered their Rice recipe from Seasoned Rice, to Buttery Rice, which contained powdered butter in the seasoning, making it no longer vegan.
This also posed a threat to a large number of people in the US and elsewhere who suffer from lactose intolerance, making them unable to enjoy the rice.
The backlash against the restaurant chain became evident on social media, as many fans of the rice called out the change, which prevented vegans from being able to eat otherwise vegan foods, such as a Fresco 7-Layer Burrito, or even the Black Beans and Rice. Doing so cut down the available vegan options considerably, and many vegans were unaware of the changes until they had that first bite.
The Changes
That has since changed, as Taco Bell has yet again altered the recipe, listening to the demands and requests of their various vegan customers. As Alec Boyle, a spokesperson for Taco Bell tells the news site VegNews:
“We recognize we have a lot of vegans and vegetarians who come to us, and that even meat-eaters and flexitarians come to us and enjoy our vegan products, like our bean burrito.
We know vegans often find themselves limited to sides and fries when they dine out at other places, so providing craveable, affordable vegan choices is a core part of our food commitments.”
This alteration has occurred much sooner than expected, as according to Boyle, the change back to the vegan rice was not supposed to happen until the end of summer.
The change happened on June 15th, a good few months ahead of schedule, to the glee of many who are vegan or lactose intolerant. The move is a step in the right direction for the restaurant chain. “We worked closely with our supplier to make it happen as quickly as possible to let our vegan fans know we were committed,” Boyle said.
Hopefully, more vegan options will become available at other restaurants as well as time goes on, but it is good to know that Taco Bell is trying.
