8 Fast Food Chains That Serve Local, Organic, Vegan Food

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Fast food is going green! More and more in-and-out restaurant chains are replacing industrial-grade lettuce and factory-farmed meat with fresh fruits, vegetables, chicken and beef that are raised locally, humanely and organic wherever possible. Here are eight you might want to check out the next time you’re famished and need something wholesome, quick and affordable, too.

Salad ingredients at Sweetgreen are locally sourced and often organic.

Sweetgreen: What’s so sweet about Sweetgreen? For starters, pretty much all their salad ingredients are locally sourced, and often organic. Their meats are hormone- and antibiotic-free. And the restaurants themselves are green from top to bottom: They use 100 percent plant-based compostable packaging and re-usaable salad blaster bowls and bags. Reclaimed and Forest Stewardship Council-certified materials go into the construction of their facilities, along with low-VOC paint and energy efficient LED and fluorescent lighting. They compost food scraps in their kitchens and have composting and recycling stations so customers can compost their packaging and recycle their bottles. Plus, Sweet Green offsets 100 percent of their power with wind energy credits. The quickly expanding chain can be found in 27 locations in and around Boston, New York, Philadelphia and Washington, D.C. Go for the salads, but don’t leave without a cup of their yummy frozen yogurt.

Veggie Grill: The gluten-free, soy-free items on the menu here are also free of meat, dairy, eggs, saturated animal fat, cholesterol, antibiotics and trans fat. Their “chickin’” and veggie-steak proteins are made from organic or non-GMO soybeans, wheat and peas. Plus, they serve super grains, a whole-grain blend of millet, buckwheat, quinoa and brown rice. Need something to drink? Try their homemade lemonade, organic teas, and locally produced craft beer and wine, all of which are free of high-fructose corn syrup. Find them in California, Oregon and Washington state.

Lyfe KitchenThis chain strives to “be a place that reflects your values towards health, community and sustainability.” It serves “organic whenever possible.” There’s a big emphasis on locally raised fruits and vegetables. If you’re looking for breakfast, try a morning tofu wrap, or steel cut oats with dried cranberries and toasted almonds. For lunch, savor the vegan unfried buffalo “chick’n” (NOT!) strips and a vegan antipasto, or the quinoa crunch bowl, made from quinoa tabbouleh, fresh crunchy vegetables and fireman’s hot sauce. For now, you can eat at Lyfe Kitchen in California, Nevada, Colorado, Texas and Chicago.

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