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Taco Bell turns menu towards vegetables, away from vegetable-based 'meat'

June 20, 2019

Despite its longtime reputation as a vegetarian and vegan-friendly fast food brand, Taco Bell told CNBC that it's not ready to dive into the meatless protein offerings available, despite the fact that the Mexican QSR will launch a vegetarian menu this fall. 

Many of the brand's competitors in the Mexican space have already added meat substitute proteins, like those from Impossible Foods or Beyond Meat, but Taco Bell said it's not taking on any of those plant-based meat-taste-alike at the moment. 

Taco Bell's North America President Julie Felss Masino told the news outlet that the brand has met with representatives from both Impossible Foods and Beyond Meat, but will not use either product in the new vegetarian menu the chain debuts this fall. 

QSR Del Taco and fast casual Qdoba have made the move to include meat substitutes on their menus, along with other QSRs like White Castle and Carl's Jr. All the brands are trying to address the desires of the growing number of diners who follow either a vegan, vegetarian or flexitarian lifestyle, which either reduces or completely restrict the amount of animal-based products included in the daily diet.