Disney is adding more than 400 plant-based food items to park menus this fall
- Walt Disney announced Tuesday that it will add more than 400 new plant-based menu items to Walt Disney World and Disneyland Resorts in Orlando, Florida this fall.
- The menu items are made with plants and exclude animal products such as meat, dairy, eggs or honey. The Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, California will get the menu in spring 2020.
- The move is yet another major player joining in on the growing plant-based trend.
- Read more on Markets Insider.
Walt Disney is going all in on the growing plant-based trend.
The entertainment company announced Tuesday that it'ss expanding its plant-based menu to include hundreds of new dishes available at Walt Disney World and Disneyland Resorts.
The new menu items will be available at Orlando, Florida quick service locations starting October 1, and at table service locations on October 3. The Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, California will get the menu items in spring 2020.
"Our guests have embraced our plant-based offerings at our parks around the globe, inspiring us to expand our menu and introduce a new menu icon, a green leaf, that will make it easier than ever to find these creations during your visit," Thomas Smith, editorial content director at Disney Parks, said in a press release.
The new menu items are made from plant-based ingredients like fruits, vegetables, grains, and nuts, and don't include any animal products such as meat, dairy, eggs, or honey. Some of the menu items include a plant-based chili dog, a plant-based cashew cheesecake, and dumplings that include plant-based meat.
The announcement does not specify if Disney is working with any particular plant-based meat producers. Disney did not immediately respond to an email inquiry from Markets Insider.
Consumer demand for plant-based alternatives to meat and dairy are growing. This year, the May initial public offering of Beyond Meat, a plant-based meat alternative producer, caught the eye of investors and customers alike - sales have boomed, and the stock soared as much as 800% at its peak.
A number of restaurants and grocery stores have jumped on the plant-based wagon. Restaurants such as Del Taco, KFC and even Famous Dave's offer plant-based meat products on menus. Products from Beyond Meat as well as its major competitors- Tyson, Kellogg, and Hormel - can be found in grocery stores across the US.
The products are so popular and show so much future potential that some grocers have launched their own lines - Kroger announced that its line Simple Truth will launch this fall. Lidl, a German grocer, also recently announced a plant-based burger that will be available in stores.