(ANSA) - Milan, May 20 - McDonald's on Wednesday announced
the launch of its vegetarian sandwich, the McVeggie, at the
food-themed Expo Milan 2015.
The new sandwich, made with vegetables and cheese, was
presented within the Expo Limited Edition offering, which
consists of four new recipes inspired by 'cult' local sandwiches
in India, Canada and Argentina.
From Wednesday the McVeggie will be available at all 510 of
the multinational burger chain's Italian outlets.
The chain said in a note that the move was "another step
towards a more varied diet, an important step towards
vegetarians, which today represent more than 7% of the (Italian)
population, an increase of 140% compared to 2012".
Starting from June 10, McDonald's will launch the McLobster,
which it described as "a sandwich bun with Canadian lobster
Catalan, the bestseller in McDonald's of Canada."
The group called itself a "glocal" brand, with "36,000
restaurants in 120 countries that serve local ingredients and
recipes."
McDonald's on Wednesday also lashed out against the founder
of Slow Food, Carlo Petrini, who criticized the presence of the
industrial food chain at Milan Expo 2015, which runs until
October 31 on the theme Feeding the Planet, Energy for Life.
"We wonder why those who proclaim the importance of
biodiversity do not then accept the idea of diversity of supply,
and especially do not show respect for people's freedom and
ability to choose," McDonald's said in a note.
Petrini on Tuesday criticized McDonald's presence at the
world fair during the inauguration of the Slow Food pavilion.
McDonald's accused Petrini of "Third World rhetoric".
McDonald's launches McVeggie at Expo
Accuses Slow Food founder Petrini of 'Third World rhetoric'