McDonalds.

McDONALD'S: In a May 2003 press release, Hain Celestial Group announced that it had created a new McVeggie Burger[R] for 600 McDonald's restaurants in southern California. Yves Veggie Cuisine, a Hain brand that "already produces many great meat alternatives, manufactures the soy-based patty exclusively for McDonald's. In October 2003, McDonald's confirmed that the Yves' McVeggie Burger[R] is on the menu at its Canadian franchises, that the company is currently testing the burger in southern California, and that they plan to introduce the burger in select locations in Houston and Oregon. In New York, certain restaurants offer the McVeggie Burger[R]; however, this burger was a creation of an owner/operator in the area and is manufactured by ConAgra. McDonald's said an ingredient list for this burger was not available at press time.

The Yves patty's ingredients are: water, soy protein product, partially hydrogenated soybean oil, vital wheat gluten, modified cellulose, spices, salt, evaporated cane juice powder, hydrolyzed corn and soy protein, natural flavor (vegetable source), yeast extract, caramel color, vitamin [B.sub.1] (thiamine hydrochloride), vitamin [B.sub.2] (riboflavin), vitamin [B.sub.3] (niacinamide), vitamin [B.sub.6] (pyridoxine hydrochloride), vitamin [B.sub.12] (cyanocobalamin), pantothenic acid (calcium pantothenate), reduced iron, and zinc (zinc oxide).

In the U.S., this burger comes on a whole wheat bun made from the following ingredients: whole wheat flour, water, cracked wheat, high fructose corn syrup, vegetable oil (partially hydrogenated soybean oil), gluten, yeast, salt, calcium sulfate, DATEM (diacetyl tartaric acid ester of mono-diglycerides), distilled monoglycerides, calcium propionate (preservative), azodicarbonamide, and fungal enzymes. In the United States, the burger also comes with a tomato slice, lettuce, chopped onions, barbeque sauce, and pickles. There may be slight variations in the burger's ingredients and toppings at Canadian franchises.

The McVeggie Burgers[R] are cooked on the same surfaces as the meat products and cannot be microwaved. The following disclaimers are found on the McDonald's website: While the ingredient information is based on standard product formulations, variations may occur depending on the local supplier, the region of the country and the season of the year. Further, product formulations change periodically ... No products are certified as vegetarian; all products may contain trace amounts of ingredients derived from animals. Customer service wrote that these disclaimers also apply to the McVeggie Burger[R] and the whole wheat bun.