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Forget peanuts and Cracker Jacks — the vegan options for baseball lovers are looking better than ever. Food service giant Aramark has added a vegan burger to its lineup at PNC Park, home stadium to the Pittsburgh Pirates.

The burger is called the Ultimate Vegan Burger, and features a beefless Gardein patty topped with shredded lettuce, sliced tomato, dill pickles, and a vegan secret sauce, all served on a sesame seed bun.

George Drakulich, Aramark Executive Chef at PNC Park, created the special, secret sauce to enhance the burger, an Aramark rep tells LVN.

“We’re continually looking for ways to enhance our menu and are committed to offering a wide-array of options, including better-for-you choices,” adds Drakulich. “This off-season, while researching new offerings to add to the 2017 menu, we tested several different recipes and pairings before settling on the items we felt to be the most fan-friendly for vegans and non-vegans. While we want to be mindful of many of our fans’ special diets, we also want the offerings to taste good and complement the overall game day experience.”

This new development is in keeping with Aramark’s trend towards adding more vegan options to its culinary lineup. In 2015, the company was offering more than 500 vegan options to campuses nationwide; and in 2016 VegNews reported than almost 1/3 of its menus were veg.

According to VeggieHappy.com, vegan options are also available at the stadiums of the Atlanta Braves, the Chicago Cubs, the Houston Astros, the Philadelphia Phillies, and the San Francisco Giants, among several others. Several NFL stadiums also offer veg-friendly items. In 2013, another Pennsylvania stadium — Lincoln Financial Field, home to the Philadelphia Eagles — ranked #1 on PETA’s vegetarian-friendly NFL stadium list.

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